The White House on Tuesday again warned Congress to reduce its proposed fiscal 2008 spending, but stopped short of threatening to veto a military construction and veterans’ affairs appropriations measure that exceeds President Bush’s request.

The warning came as the Senate was starting consideration of the $109.2 billion bill (HR 2642), with quick passage expected. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he hopes to complete work on the bill “in a very expeditious manner,” so that he can call up the State-Foreign Operations spending measure (HR 2764) later this week.

The White House Office of Management and Budget said if Congress exceeds Bush’s request for funding the Veterans Affairs Department without offsetting the increases with reductions in other spending bills, “the president will veto any of the other bills that exceed his request until Congress demonstrates a path to reach the President’s topline of $933 billion.”

The White House is fighting Democratic proposals to spend $23 billion, or 2.5 percent, more than the $933 billion in discretionary spending the administration requested for all 12 regular spending bills.

Still, the latest OMB statement did not threaten a veto of the military construction-VA bill, which has strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate. The measure would provide $64.7 billion in discretionary funding, $4 billion more than the president requested.