March 6 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush's first spending fight with the Democratic-controlled Congress may come over the Iraq war -- and avocados and cattle and flood protection.

Lawmakers are pushing to add billions of dollars to the administration's war-funding request to meet a host of unrelated demands, including those from California fruit farmers hit by freezing temperatures, ranchers whose livestock were killed in Colorado blizzards and children poised to lose their health insurance.

The potential add-ons threaten a battle in the coming weeks with the White House. Bush has never vetoed a spending measure, and Democrats, betting he won't veto one paying for the war, see a way to aid a number of constituencies seeking federal aid.

``There are urgent, emergency situations that have to be addressed,'' said Senator Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat.

Senator Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, said the extra spending is ``fiscally irresponsible and it's blatantly unseemly.''

``We're supposed to be fighting this war and paying for the troops -- making sure they have what they need,'' he said. ``We're not supposed to be paying for avocado growers.''

Democrats voted last month to drop thousands of pet projects, called ``earmarks'' or ``pork,'' from a $463 billion annual spending measure. Gregg said the calls for adding to the Iraq measure, which have come from Republicans and Democrats alike, looked like pork to him.

Bush last month requested $103 billion in emergency spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and for Hurricane Katrina relief, a proposal that would bring total spending on the war on terror to more than $600 billion. The House Appropriations Committee will take up the measure as early as March 9. Its Senate counterpart is slated to begin its work later this month.

Shut Military Bases

Some provisions may have already secured a place on the Iraq legislation. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat, said he will add $3.1 billion for the Pentagon to help shut down military bases that Congress voted to close.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, said he will add $750 million for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage for more than 5 million poor children. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said 14 states would have to cut enrollment in the program this year if they don't receive the additional funding.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, told the National Farmers Union March 2 that the Iraq spending measure will include an unspecified sum of agricultural aid.

That may not be enough to satisfy requests from across the country to help farmers hit by inclement weather.

Colorado Cattle

Democrat John Salazar and Republican Marilyn Musgrave, both representatives from Colorado, have asked for aid to farmers there who lost thousands of cattle to blizzards in December and January. Conrad, the North Dakota Democrat, is asking for $4 billion for farmers hit by drought. California lawmakers, meanwhile, have requested $1.2 billion for avocado, mango, orange and grapefruit growers whose crops were destroyed by a January freeze.

``People are having a hard time making it day to day,'' said Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both California Democrats, in a letter to the Appropriations Committee. ``Those who have been hardest hit this year -- who have seen their entire crop wiped out -- will not have a crop again for two or three years because of the damage to the trees by the sustained low temperatures,'' they wrote.

Flood Projects

Elsewhere, Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, said his state needs as much as $3.2 billion more for flood protection projects. Senator Gordon Smith, an Oregon Republican, is planning to ask for as much as $400 million to extend for one year a recently elapsed program that funnels a portion of federal timber sales to counties with national forest land, which isn't subject to taxation.

Last year, the administration requested $94.5 billion in emergency funding for the war and Hurricane Katrina relief. By the time the Senate passed the measure, it had grown to $109 billion. The Bush administration threatened to veto the plan, prompting lawmakers to scale the measure back to the president's request.

A spokesman for the White House Office of Management and Budget hinted this year's measure might meet a similar fate.

``Using the war supplemental as a vehicle for funding non- related, add-in initiatives would only delay the process and in turn delay getting our troops in the field the resources they need,'' said spokesman Sean Kevelighan.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Faler in Washington at bfaler@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 6, 2007 00:07 EST