WASHINGTON — The effort in Congress to offset some of the costs of Hurricane Katrina has split Republicans so sharply that Congress may not approve the spending cuts it had planned before Katrina.
In the House, the hurricane prompted the Republican leadership to back a package of offsetting cuts that were too little for some conservatives but too much for some moderates. As for the Senate, it is having a hard time agreeing on the shallower cuts it had planned to make pre-Katrina.
Even if both chambers can settle on their own totals, they may have difficulty compromising on a package that is neither too robust for the Senate nor too anemic for the House. Republicans know they cannot count on the Democrats to provide them a single vote.
"I'm somewhat pessimistic that they'll reach an eventual agreement," said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a lobby group for balanced budgets.
To the chagrin of conservatives, federal spending has grown far faster under President Bush than under his Democratic predecessor, President Clinton.
The war in Iraq and the establishment of the Homeland Security Department contributed mightily to the Bush increases, but so did boosts in domestic programs, particularly the creation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, which takes effect Jan. 1.
"Democrats are talking like they are us, and we're spending like them," said Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a leading conservative.
Congress finds budget agreements elusive in the best of circumstances. And now, some of the forces that had kept the GOP majorities unified during past budget struggles are beginning to weaken.
Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), known as "the Hammer" for his ability to pound reluctant colleagues into line, had to give up his post as House majority leader after his indictment for alleged campaign finance violations in Texas.
Also, Republicans who are possible candidates for the 2008 presidential nomination are starting to assert their independence. And the president's sagging poll numbers aren't helping matters.
Last spring, prodded by conservatives such as Flake, the Republican majorities in the House and Senate passed a congressional budget that called for cutting $35 billion from federal benefit programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and farm subsidies over five years.
