By DAVID ROGERS,Politico
Obama and other Democrats hype their "fiscal conservatism"
The greater political challenge for Democrats is the simple fact that the dollars are so big in an environment in which so much money is already moving.
The Justice and Commerce bill last week represented an almost 12 percent increase over this year,counting the added money needed for the 2010 census. A natural resources bill due on the House floor this week reflects a 17 percent increase — helped along by another hefty hike for the Environmental Protection Agency,which is also a major conduit for stimulus funds.
The sums are so large that Republicans can afford to look generous and still come up with savings.
Rep. Jerry Lewis,the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee,for example,proposed to guarantee at least a 2 percent increase for most domestic agencies,provide more for defense than Obama and still save $35 billion more than the Democrats.