House conservatives vow to present balanced 2003 budget

Laying down what is likely to be the conservative marker in this year's budget debate, the conservative House Republican Study Conference (RSC) announced Thursday it plans to offer a balanced budget plan for fiscal 2003--despite the Congressional Budget Office's recent forecast that the government will run a $21 billion deficit in fiscal 2002 and a $14 billion deficit in 2003.

Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., who chairs the RSC, said: "While Washington's big spenders want you to believe that deficit spending is unavoidable, CBO's surplus projections paint another picture. Fourteen billion represents less than 1 percent of the federal budget. Surely, a fiscally responsible Congress could find 1 percent of fat to trim from last year's budget."

Budget member Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., who takes a hard line against spending and chairs the RSC's budget task force, said the conservatives' budget would seek to eliminate the projected fiscal 2003 deficit by controlling spending.

"The more I look at the numbers, the more I am convinced that if we prioritize our spending and show some restraint, we can and should balance the budget this year," Toomey said.

The RSC plans to unveil its budget after holding its annual retreat next week.