Conservative Reaction to President's Speech

Without cuts somewhere else -- or tax hikes -- the $200 billion recovery cost of Katrina recovery will cast an ever increasing shadow of debt and interest on years of federal budgets to come.

Fiscal conservatives weren't happy with President Bush's Jackson Square speech last night. Promising "one of the largest reconstruction efforts" in world history, the speech signaled a return to big government -- even thought the federal government has expanded steadily since 9/11.

Here are some of the statements Newsday gathered:

"It is inexcusable for the White House and Congress to not even make the effort to find at least some offsets to this new spending. No one in America believes the federal government is operating at peak efficiency and can't tighten its belt." -- Sen Tom Coburn (R-OK)

"Dollars add up. For every dollar we spend on this means a dollar that's going to take a little bit longer to balance the budget." -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL)

The right leaning Heritage Foundation -- a Washington think tank -- wants Congress to review the pork-laden Highway Bill it passed in early August. The foundation believes the rebuilding costs could be offset by canceling some of the questionable projects -- like a quarter-billion dollar bridge to an Alaskan island with only 50 people. (Newsday)