The first real action on the spending and budget fronts in Congress is likely to commence this week, with debate both on the fiscal 1999 budget and a supplemental spending bill for this year.
The Senate Budget Committee is slated to begin marking up its fiscal 1999 budget resolution Tuesday, with opening statements in the morning and Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., laying down his mark sometime during the day.
The budget panel had been scheduled to mark up its plan last week, but that session was scrapped due to a dispute on tax cuts. Senate Finance Chairman William Roth, R-Del., said last week that he favored a larger tax cut than the $30 billion proposal Domenici wanted to include in his blueprint.
Democrats are expected to introduce their own alternative budget, which is based on President Clinton's FY99 spending plan. While the Democratic plan includes some of the same priorities as the Clinton plan, it also includes a $1.50 per pack cigarette tax increase, as opposed to the president's $1.19 boost.
The House Budget Committee has not yet scheduled its markup of the budget package; Majority Leader Armey has said he does not expect the House to consider the budget before the Easter recess.
On the appropriations front, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled Tuesday to mark up supplemental spending plans for defense, disaster relief, the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. The House Budget Committee has not yet scheduled its markup, although aides said they expect the markup sometime the week of March 23.
Republicans have said they want to consider the spending plans before the Easter recess. However, conservative and moderate Republicans have threatened a revolt over the defense and disaster relief sections of the proposal because that spending will not be offset by cuts. House Appropriations Chairman Livingston has argued this spending should be classified as emergency appropriations and should not be offset.
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