Budget Battle Begins

With the release of President Clinton's fiscal 1998 budget last week, the budget season is officially underway. Already under discussion are cuts in both federal employees' benefits and agency spending on key programs.

Here is a compilation of our recent coverage of the budget process:

COVER STORIES:

Paying the Price
Federal employees, retirees, and agencies have been asked to make pay and benefit sacrifices to help achieve a balanced budget under Clinton Administration plans released on Feb. 6. Employee and retiree groups expressed disappointment with the administration's proposals.

More With Less
As he released his fiscal 1998 spending plan, President Clinton said the only way to balance the budget and increase spending for education programs and other efforts is to step up the pace of reinventing government.

The Era of Small Government
In his State of the Union message, President Clinton proposed a host of new initiatives, few of which involved the federal government in a direct role.

OTHER ITEMS:

Agency Budget Roundup
Feds Air Budget Beefs
CBO: Clinton Budget in Red
Sweet Talk on Budget Ends
GOP: Budget is 'Alive'
GOP Skeptical on Clinton Plans
GOP Won't Kill Agencies--Yet
Biennial Budget Floated
Clinton to Feds: Thanks