The Nation - News from March 18, 1988

The House Budget Committee approved a $1.1-trillion federal budget for the 1989 fiscal year that largely obeys Congress’ budget summit accord last November with President Reagan, but scrambles some of his domestic spending priorities. The spending plan would leave a deficit of $134.1 billion, according to the budget panel, enough to avoid automatic spending cuts under the Gramm-Rudman budget-balancing law. The budget resolution is expected to be sent to the full House next week. In a separate action, the White House sent Congress a supplemental spending request for this fiscal year that would increase spending by $1.1 billion, mostly for veterans. In veering from Reagan recommendations for domestic spending for fiscal 1989, the panel pared Reagan’s requested $13.1 billion for space and science programs to $12.2 billion, and rejected $1.2 billion in proposed Medicare savings.