HARRISBURG -- State Senate Republicans will try today to override a dozen of Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's vetoes of 2009-10 expenditures, as the two political parties grow even more contentious in their fight over a new state budget.

Republicans, who control the Senate 29 to 20, will try to resurrect a number of vetoed but important programs: grants and loans for college students; domestic violence programs; child care services for lower income workers; aid for homeless people; food bank purchases; county-run programs for mental retardation and drug/alcohol services; rape crisis centers; veterans; and children's health insurance.

Mr. Rendell said he used his line-item veto on those items not because they're not important -- they're vital, he agreed -- but because a Senate Republican budget proposal doesn't adequately fund these services for 2009-10.

Republicans insist the programs are properly funded, within the limits of state revenue. They complained the vetoes are preventing important services from being implemented until a full budget is worked out, which could take weeks yet.

It would take a two-thirds vote in the Senate, or 33 votes, to override Mr. Rendell's line-item vetoes. There are now 29 Republicans (with one seat vacant) and if they all vote yes, at least four Democrats would have to cross party lines to override the vetoes. Democrats said yesterday they don't think four of their members would jump ship.

Even if the Senate does override the vetoes, they would then go to the House, which is controlled by Democrats 104-99. With a two-thirds vote also needed in the House, legislative approval for the overrides seems very unlikely.

But Senate GOP leaders said it's still worth the effort.

The vetoes have created "a crisis atmosphere," contended Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, which the governor wants "to give himself leverage in the budget negotiations."

A vote to cancel the vetoes would be "the first step in ensuring that vital state programs are not shut down while the overall budget negotiations continue," he added.

Senate Democratic Leader Bob Mellow of Lackawanna derided the override effort as "a political move by Republicans, who are playing games. It's going to waste yet another day that should be spent trying to (resolve a budget)."

House Republican Leader Sam Smith of Punxsutawney said a veto override is an uphill battle in the Senate and a steeper climb in the House. He said it would take a lot of courageous rank-and-file Democrats to cross leaders who are lock-step with the governor on major budget issues.

But, he said, it's the sensible thing to do, at least on the few line items where all sides have agreed on spending levels. He criticized Mr. Rendell for using his veto power on line items that both the House and Senate agreed to fund at the same levels the governor requested.

"The governor's tactic," Mr. Smith said, "is to create crisis and controversy" by forcing agencies such as day care centers to shut down for lack of funding.

Mr. Rendell has steadfastly insisted that higher "recurring" revenues, from either the sales tax or income tax, must be enacted to provide a proper level of 2009-10 spending, which he puts at $28.2 billion. But Republicans are sticking to a no-tax-increase budget with a bottom line of $27.3 billion.

"The governor keeps trying to sell his snake oil (of higher taxes and higher spending) but the people of Pennsylvania still aren't buying," said Mr. Scarnati, who also is the lieutenant governor.

In a related matter, another program fell victim yesterday to the budget crisis. The annual Pennsylvania International Week, a chance for Pennsylvania companies to meet with international trade representatives to discuss overseas markets, was postponed by state officials. The Harrisburg event was expected to attract about 400 in-state firms interested in gaining access to foreign markets.