Veto Clash Likely on Budget Bills

WASHINGTON - Democrats are pressing ahead with long-sought budget hikes for domestic programs but are running into veto threats from President Bush, who's trying to regain his footing on spending.

Total increases for domestic programs now exceed $27 billion after Appropriations Committee Democrats tapped defense and foreign aid accounts to supplement funding hikes included in a Democratic budget outline passed last month.

The developments came as the Appropriations panel approved the first of 12 spending bills for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, a $36.3 billion homeland security measure that boosts such spending by almost 14 percent over figures approved last year.

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