The Nation : Congress, Darman Plan Budget Talks

Democratic congressional leaders announced a two-week period of negotiations with Budget Director Richard G. Darman to see if a compromise spending and deficit-reduction package can be worked out between the White House and Capitol Hill. Chairman Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.) of the Senate Budget Committee and his House counterpart, Rep. Leon E. Panetta (D-Monterey), will take part in the talks with ranking Republican members of their committees, New Mexico Sen. Pete V. Domenici and Minnesota Rep. Bill Frenzel. Sasser and Panetta said in a joint letter that their previous private meetings with Darman had been “frank and constructive” and should move on. “We propose that the budget task force discussions enter a new phase: an exploration of areas of possible compromise between Congress and the Administration on a fiscal year 1990 budget,” they wrote.