Congress to take a hard look at agency spending plans

Congressional appropriators begin looking in earnest this week at fiscal 2003 agency spending, with a couple of dozen subcommittee sessions planned in the two chambers.

On Tuesday, Senate Appropriations subcommittees will question Attorney General John Ashcroft about the Justice Department's proposed 2003 spending and will look at the Agency for International Development. On Wednesday, Senate subpanels will examine the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In the House, Appropriations subcommittees will look at the Social Security Administration Tuesday. On Wednesday, House Appropriations subpanels will dig into Amtrak, the Army Corps of Engineers, Customs Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Secret Service and the Commerce, Interior and Labor departments.

House subpanels Thursday hold hearings on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, agriculture research, the Energy and Justice departments, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service, as well as missile defense.

Meanwhile, the Senate Budget Committee will hold a full committee session Wednesday to hear General Accounting Office Comptroller General David Walker's views on the long-term budget outlook.