At the same time, a handful of GOP senators worry that the Bush bill is too big. They want to make future tax cuts contingent on projected surpluses actually developing. We should get the first hint later this week, when the Senate is expected to vote on a 2002 budget framework. Remember, though, that vote is mostly symbolic, and its tax-cut targets are nonbinding. Still, the tally will give us a good idea of how much support the Bush plan has.
Lawmakers are about to go home for a two-week spring recess.
If they get an earful on the slumping economy and the sagging stock market, that would almost guarantee a quick stimulus package. But ironically, that could be bad news for the rest of the Bush plan. Once Congress passes Tax Cut I, pressure to do Tax Cut II will diminish rapidly. By contrast, if voters are blas about the economy, stimulus talk may quiet. And the Democrats wanted to wait until Congress passed a budget before doing anything about taxes.