House Approves Bush Tax Cut

W A S H I N G T O N, March 8 -- With little support from Democrats, the Republican-controlled House today approved the first installment of President Bush's 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax-cut proposal, as the battle shifts to less certain ground in the Senate.

The final vote was 230-198, with no Republicans voting against the $958 billion income tax cut. But just 10 Democrats voted for it, signaling the tough road ahead for Bush to win much-needed Democratic votes in the Senate.

Shortly after landing in Fargo, N.Dak., this evening, Bush received a call from House Speaker Dennis Hastert to deliver the "good news."

"It's a strong message to the American people that the members of the U.S. Congresshave heard loud and clear," Bush told Hastert, "that if we set priorities and watch ourspending habits that we can send some meaningful money back to thepeople."

Before the vote, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer had said that if any Democrats voted for the plan, the White House would bill it as a bipartisan victory.

"The president's view is that he's pleased that there are any number of Democrats, no matter who they turn out to be, who vote for the right proposal to lower taxes on the American people," Fleischer said.

Is The Honeymoon Over?

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But following a lengthy debate that was at times bitter, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt said today that the honeymoon is over for Bush on Capitol Hill.

"My assessment after just a few weeks of this Congress is that bipartisanship is over, not that it ever began," said Gephardt, D-Mo.

Even as his plan to boost the economy overcame its first hurdle, Bush was focused on the larger challenge down the road: Pushing it through the Senate, which is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

Gephardt expects the "strong, unified" Democratic vote against the Bush plan in the House will send a message to the Senate: "Stop, whoa, slow down. Let's look at this. Let's be more careful."

Bush was trying to send a signal of his own, drumming up support today in the Dakotas, both Republican states with Democratic senators — one of which is home of the Senate's Democratic leader.