WASHINGTON -- The House is expected to begin debate today on the compromise fiscal 1995 budget package that House and Senate negotiators agreed on Tuesday evening.
The measure, which contains $13 billion more in spending cuts over five years than President Clinton proposed in February, is then expected to be taken up by the Senate next week.
Unlike last year, when Clinton's first budget was embroiled in controversy over his economic plans and proposed tax hikes, the budget this year is generally free of controversy and will probably pass both chambers on party line votes, a Senate aide said.
The fiscal 1995 budget agreement puts the deficit at $175.4 billion, about $100 billion less than both Congress and the Clinton Administration projected last year.
The $13 billion in added cuts, which will come down discretionary spending, most likely will come from defense, House and Senate aides said. But the actual cuts will be made by the various appropriations committees responsible for allocating funds to individual departments and agencies.
Both Office of Management and Budget Director Leon E. Panetta and House Budget Committee Chairman Martin O. Sabo, D-Minn., expressed regret that the additional $13 billion in spending cuts was included in the budget.
"We will work with the Congress to minimize the impact of those cuts on priority programs," Panetta said.
