Despite their support for the balanced budget deal, appropriators will not back down in their attempts to eliminate some federal programs the Clinton administration supports, House Appropriations Chairman Livingston is warning.
"As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, it's my job to set specific spending levels for programs," Livingston said in a statement. "This agreement does not prevent my committee from attempting to terminate or cut programs of questionable worth."
Livingston specifically mentioned the National Endowment for the Arts, Americorps, the Ounce of Prevention Council and the Advanced Technology Program as specific items appropriators may again fight. "It is my full intention to continue my committee's successful efforts to terminate wasteful or duplicative programs, cut spending and scale back programs," he said.
Meanwhile, the Senate Budget Committee and the House Rules Committee are scheduled to consider the budget resolution later this afternoon. During today's Senate markup, Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, will not offer his substitute budget resolution, a Gramm aide said. Instead, Gramm will offer amendments when the resolution goes to the floor, although it is not clear whether he will offer individual amendments or a comprehensive substitute.
In the House, The Coalition--a group of moderate-to-conservative Democrats--will not offer their substitute budget resolution.
Instead, the group will offer the budget resolution passed by the House Budget Committee last week with additional enforcement mechanisms added to it, aides to members of the group said today. The "Blue Dogs" remain concerned about the glidepath of deficit reduction under the agreement, an aide said. House members were still submitting amendments to the Rules Committee this afternoon, in advance of its 5 p.m. meeting. Among the amendments submitted was a comprehensive substitute plan proposed by the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as substitutes prepared by Reps. George Brown, D-Calif., Joseph Kennedy, D-Mass., Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Bud Shuster, R-Pa.
In other budget news, Republican and Democratic House freshmen are circulating a letter to Speaker Gingrich urging him to ease passage of the budget agreement. "We believe that this budget blueprint is an effective example of bipartisan cooperation in dealing with one of our most pressing problems," the freshmen say, which they plan to send Gingrich Wednesday. Shuster wants to hike the level of transportation funds over what was provided in the agreement.
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