Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl of Arizona, and George Voinovich of Ohio. The three senators had all expressed concern that spending being added to the budget was getting too expensive. Had it succeeded, it would have been the first victory by Democrats in their effort to whittle down Bush's tax package. Farmers have been hit by low crop prices and losses from droughts in recent years. Congress' budget, which does not need the president's signature, sets overall spending and tax targets.
Later bills enact actual changes in taxes and spending and fill in the details.
Even so, both sides want the budget to reflect their priorities - and to signal that important constituencies will be well treated. But they were only one of several groups Democrats were seeking to shower with money they hope to carve from Bush's tax reduction, the centerpiece of his economic plan. In the first such battle Tuesday, Republicans used Cheney's first tie-breaking vote to help defeat a Democratic effort to divert money from Bush's tax cut to a new prescription drug program.