House, Senate now aiming to wrap up next week

House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, Thursday told reporters he expects the House to vote next Tuesday on fiscal 2000 appropriations legislation-while acknowledging there still are a few obstacles to a final budget deal.

House leaders had hoped to wrap up for the year on Friday. But while negotiators broke up Wednesday night having resolved a key education dispute, they left a handful of tough issues open.

A continuing resolution that passed the House and Senate keeps portions of the government running through next Wednesday.

Armey said House leaders hope to combine the remaining spending bills into "a minimum of two separate packages" of legislation. Armey defended the practice of moving an omnibus bill-a procedure GOP leaders have derided as one of the mistakes of last year-saying it was a response to "the parliamentary rigors that one has to engage in." The House is slated to hold a pro forma session Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., Wednesday evening told reporters the Senate will be back in session next Tuesday, and that he hopes for adjournment Wednesday evening.

He also indicated an omnibus appropriations package was likely. "I don't have a problem with a big bill," he said. "What I had a problem with is a big meeting."

Lott also listed a number of live issues, including the restoration of Medicare cuts- which has been worked out between the House and Senate-and the so-called tax extenders, a group of business tax credits. He also mentioned a work incentives bill designed to extend health insurance to individuals who leave cash disability programs, dairy price legislation, and a satellite TV bill.

While most numbers and language problems on the five remaining FY2000 spending bills have been resolved, several tough issues remain to be worked out.

Still outstanding are solutions on payment of United Nations arrears and restrictions on international family planning groups, International Monetary Fund gold revaluation-and how to offset nearly $7 billion in outlays to avoid tapping the Social Security surplus.

With the House and Senate out until next week, no decisions are expected on U.N. arrears or IMF gold revaluation- negotiations which Armey said Thursday "quite frankly, [are] both bogging down."

The administration wants the nearly $1 billion in U.N. arrears payments appropriated in the Commerce-Justice-State bill to be released. But what Armey described as "a large bloc of members" among GOP conservatives will only allow that to happen if President Clinton agrees to the so-called "Mexico City" policy, which prohibits international family planning groups that receive U.S. funds from lobbying foreign governments on their abortion laws.

As for offsets, top budget staffers are expected to work through the list provided late Wednesday by White House officials -an offer Armey said "is not wholly acceptable."

One offset rejected earlier in the year that was proposed by the White House is moving the final military pay day of FY2000, to achieve outlay savings of roughly $2 billion.