WASHINGTON--Montana Sen. Max Baucus and other Democrats on Tuesday said the Bush administration's proposed budget for 2005 does not provide enough money for clearing dead trees and other debris from forests.

Last year, Baucus, Sen. Ron Wyden, R-Ore., and a handful of other Democrats joined forces with Republican lawmakers and Bush administration officials to draft the plan, known as the Healthy Forest Initiative, to overhaul management of the nation's forests.

At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Forest Service's budget, Wyden lashed out at Mark Rey, the Agriculture Department's under-secretary for natural resources and environment.

"I am profoundly disappointed," Wyden told Rey, who has jurisdiction over the Forest Service. "It seems to me that you are taking the 'health' out of Healthy Forest." Wyden, who is up for reelection in 2004, said the administration's proposal to spend $475 million for hazardous fuels reduction is significantly less than the $760 million promised in the healthy forest legislation.

"This is a breach of what Congress intended," Wyden said. "How in the world are you going to get the work done with nearly $300 million less than was intended?"

Baucus shares Wyden's frustration with the administration's proposal for the fuels reduction budget.

"Max is not happy about this either, because he fought hard to pass this bill to reduce the threat of wildfires and create jobs," Baucus spokesman Barrett Kaiser said. "A promise is a promise. He will fight tooth and nail to get the administration to live up to this deal."

The Senate and House will produce spending proposals and then settle the differences between the two proposals. That compromise bill will become law when signed by the president.

Rey, who is a former timber industry lobbyist, and other Interior Department officials say they are correctly implementing the law.

"It pains me to disagree with you, Sen. Wyden, but our occasional disagreements make the frequent times that we agree so dear," Rey responded.

Rey said that the $475 million total for fuels reduction represented an increase of about $100 million over what was set aside in fiscal year 2004.

Rey added that under the proposed budget the number of acres that could be treated would increase from 2 million last year to 4 million this year.

"It is a fantasy to say we are going to get that amount of work done under your budget," an agitated Wyden said.

Republican senators said they would like to have more money to reduce the buildup of fuels, but said the nation's fiscal situation will limit spending.