Lott Is ‘Depressed’ by Clinton’s Budget

Sending a signal that Republicans will not be pushovers in the coming budget talks with the White House, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said Friday that he is “gravely depressed” by President Clinton’s budget because it does not go far enough in cutting spending and taxes.

But at the same time, Lott announced that Clinton will go to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for talks with congressional leaders that could be the first step toward a balanced-budget deal.

Lott’s mixed message reflects a dilemma facing the GOP as it plots budget strategy. Many Republicans--especially Lott, who as majority leader has tried ardently to rack up legislative accomplishments--are hungry for some kind of budget-balancing deal. But conservatives do not want to compromise too easily on their remaining differences with Clinton over tax cuts and other issues.

Divisions among Republicans about how quickly to push for a budget agreement already are apparent. Some House Republicans want to draft their own alternative to Clinton’s budget before entering negotiations with the administration. But Lott and other Senate Republicans seem more inclined to go straight into negotiations and produce a consensus budget early this year.

Conservatives may not take kindly to GOP leaders being too accommodating, if recent criticism of House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is any indication. Conservative leader William J. Bennett this week launched a blistering attack on Gingrich for trying to build bridges to Democrats on anti-drug initiatives and other issues.

Clinton, for his part, may be pressured by liberal Democrats, who have been grudging in their support of the budget-balancing cause. Glimpses of their discomfort emerged Friday after House Democratic leaders returned from a daylong party retreat. Although supportive of the president’s fiscal record, House Minority Whip David E. Bonior (D-Mich.) said Clinton’s budget does not go far enough in expanding health insurance for children, aiding school construction and cutting corporate subsidies.

A Democratic strategist who attended the party’s retreat said it was clear there that most House Democrats think the president’s budget goes too far in cutting taxes and reducing the rate of growth in Medicare.

Congressional Democrats are clearly nervous that they will have little leverage in budget talks between Clinton and Republicans. But if Clinton cuts them out of the deal, the Democratic strategist said, “he’s going to have a firestorm in his party.

“Maybe it’s not important to him, but it’s important to the vice president,” the strategist said, referring to Al Gore’s expected quest for the presidency in 2000.

Lott’s comments on Clinton’s budget were far harsher than remarks he made Thursday, when he predicted that a budget deal could be reached within six weeks and was clearly trying to maintain an atmosphere conducive to negotiations. But after reviewing the plan in more detail, Lott said Friday, “I am gravely depressed.”

He criticized Clinton for proposing billions of dollars in new programs, for putting off the deepest spending cuts until after he leaves office and for maneuvers that the majority leader called “shell games.”

“I’d hoped for more leadership and a greater degree of courage,” Lott said. “It looks more like a political document to me than a serious budget document.”

Lott said he called Clinton Friday morning to air his complaints. “He was maybe a little taken aback that I felt as strongly as I did,” Lott said. Clinton took Lott’s comments in stride and told reporters that he remains upbeat about the prospects of reaching agreement. “If you look at the differences between us, and you look at how close we are to a balanced budget, we can do it and I’m convinced we will do it,” Clinton told reporters.

Many Republicans agreed that a compromise budget-balancing plan is doable--and some see it as politically imperative to avoid repeating the bitter battles of last year that shut down the government and threw the GOP on the defensive.

“We don’t have any choice but to work together,” Senate Majority Whip Don Nickles (R-Okla.) said at a hearing of the Senate Budget Committee Friday. “A repeat of last year is not acceptable to anybody.”

The budget dialogue begins Tuesday, when Clinton goes to the Capitol. Lott called the meeting to discuss the budget and other issues where the two sides might find common ground. “I’m going to urge that we not waste time talking about what we disagree on,” Lott said.

“This is not the end of a conversation, it’s simply the beginning of a conversation,” said White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry. “It would be wildly improbable that you would reach a balanced-budget agreement at one meeting.”