Congress likely to miss another budget deadline

Democratic congressional leaders and the White House today joined forces to denounce the Republican handling of this year's budget endgame, with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., vowing to press for Senate votes Wednesday "and every day until our work is done."

House and Senate leaders were readjusting the congressional floor schedules for the week--potentially putting off adjournment for an additional week and requiring at least one more continuing resolution to keep the government running.

House leaders have decided to postpone floor votes until at least Wednesday evening. Senate leaders had hoped to postpone a vote on the fiscal 2001 Agriculture appropriations conference report until Thursday. But Daschle said he will insist the conference report come to a vote Wednesday, although he was willing to "accommodate" senators' desire to attend the memorial service Wednesday morning in Norfolk, Va., for crew members of the damaged destroyer U.S.S. Cole.

"It's fair to say virtually nothing will be accomplished this week," said Daschle, adding that GOP leaders have "wasted an entire seven-day CR."

GOP leaders are facing the reality that Congress is unlikely to complete its work this week, calling into question the schedule for Friday and Saturday. A spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said leaders would keep the House in session Saturday only if adjournment appeared within reach.

White House officials Tuesday reiterated they would accept only two- to three-day continuing resolutions after the current CR expires midnight Friday. Daschle and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., said they fully back this strategy.

The Democratic leaders and Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew all stressed that education--and, in particular, bond authority for school construction--was their top priority in the budget.

"The biggest obstacle we have right now [is] we need to sit down and talk," said Lew, following a meeting with Gephardt and Daschle. He added, "You can't do that when you work two days a week."

The House is not expected to do much heavy legislative lifting until Thursday, when it plans to take up the VA-HUD conference report--although a conference committee on that measure first must be convened--and the District of Columbia appropriations conference report.

The House Thursday also may take up a resolution dealing with the presumed terrorist attack on the Cole, as well as a resolution dealing with Israel.

A House GOP aide said one idea was to send members home early this week and bring them back Tuesday for votes on the remaining appropriations measures - Labor-HHS, Commerce-Justice-State, and Foreign Operations--plus a tax relief package that GOP leaders have been fashioning.