Democrats call tax cut plan 'hogwash'

WASHINGTON -- Ahead of Senate debate on a new round of tax cuts, Treasury Secretary John Snow on promoted President Bush's plan Sunday as the best way to firm up "a soggy economy" weighed down by job losses and slow growth.\nSenate Democrats called the proposal "hogwash" and worried that more tax cuts would send the federal government further into debt. The Bush plan, they said, would help the rich but fail to "trickle down" to low-and middle-class Americans.\n"A soggy economy is what we've got today. We're in a recovery but it's not as strong and robust as it should be," Snow said on ABC's "This Week." "That's why the president's pushing this jobs and growth plan."\nBut Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said plans to revive the economy needed to turn in a new direction. \n"I think this whole 'trickle-down' is hogwash," she said.\nThe Senate was to begin debate Monday on a GOP-backed $350 million tax cut proposal, which is less than half of what Bush had sought. Several Republicans see that bill as a starting point, although many Democrats support no more than $150 billion in tax relief.\nSnow's appearances on the Sunday talk shows were part of the administration's effort to promote Bush's plan and win congressional approval.\nBush will be campaigning in three states this week for his proposal. He planned to meet with small-business owners Monday in Albuquerque, N.M. before heading to Omaha, Neb., to spend time at the Airlite Plastics plant.\nHe will meet senior citizens in Indianapolis Tuesday and give another speech on his economic-stimulus plan.\nThe GOP-run House approved a $550 billion version of the bill Friday that would trim levies on wages, capital gains and some business investments. It would give Bush a smaller reduction than he wanted on corporate dividend taxes.\n"I hope it's closer to $550 billion than $350 billion," Snow told NBC's "Meet the Press." "Wherever we come out, I think we are going to have major tax relief for American taxpayers and tax relief that we will create jobs."\nAny more tax cuts, or an increase in spending, would likely put the U.S. government deeper into debt, which is at about $6.4 trillion -- an average of $70,000 per family. By current law, the debt cannot exceed $6.4 trillion, so Congress must vote to raise it.\nSenate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle said lawmakers had no choice but to do so, but hoped Congress would vote on that measure before tackling tax cuts.\n"So there's no doubt that deficit and debts are matters, are functions of the economy, are matters of fiscal policy that have to be dealt with," said Daschle, D-S.D. "This administration's ignored them from the beginning."\nThe soaring debt was the result of years of spending increases and past tax cuts, Snow said.