White House officials and Democratic negotiators on Capitol Hill said Clinton, Senate majority leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, and Illinois native House Speaker Dennis Hastert agreed to $108.9 billion in spending on programs for education, labor and health care. "We believe we have agreement on a framework for health and education funding," said White House spokesman Eliot Diringer.
Rep. David Obey, D-Wisc., who sits on the House appropriations committee, aired the $108.9 figure, and White House officials confirmed the proposed spending level.
"It looks like we're on the right track," said an official in Obey's office, who cautioned against making any end-game predictions yet, though. "It remains to be seen where the cuts are."
The health, education and labor spending proposal represents roughly a $13 billion increase over last year's levels, though about $4 billion less than an initial agreement reached last month.
"There has been some give and take all around," Diringer said.
Clinton, Lott and Hastert met with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., for about an hour Monday afternoon at the White House for the third time in roughly a week as the president prepared to travel to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Tuesday through Thursday, when lawmakers expect to round out a final budget package. Clinton and the lawmakers agreed to temporary funding measures to keep the government running through Friday, Obey's office said.
Last week House Majority Whip Tom DeLay suggested that Congress approve a one-year continuing resolution that would keep agency funding at current levels. But Lott and Hastert moved forward with negotiations.
Democratic Michigan Rep. John Conyers Jr. said Monday DeLay seemed to be anxious to split the Republican caucus down the middle.
"He wants to put it off until we had a chance to see if his president is in," Conyers said. "DeLay has openly challenged the Clinton-Hastert agreement."
"When you're against minimum wage, small business and education initiatives, affordable housing and education improvements, you're really letting it be known that you're starting off the 107th Congress on the warpath," Conyers said, adding that Hastert has been more conciliatory than other members of the GOP caucus. But Hastert, who leapfrogged over DeLay for the Speaker's position after Rep. Bob Livingston resigned, has begun to show some independence, as least in their legislative styles, according to political analysts.
"I think the major differences are between DeLay and Hastert, rather than Republicans and Democrats," said New York Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a Democrat, who described the budget battle as a "game of chicken" with potentially devastating consequences.
Currently, the government is being funded with stopgap financing measures, the last of which expires Monday at midnight.
Last week, Lott said he hoped to have a budget compromise by Friday, months beyond when GOP lawmakers originally predicted a speedy process with the White House last fall, during the presidential campaign.
Lawmakers backed off budget negotiations as the White House race between Republican Texas. Gov. George W. Bush and Democrat Vice President Al Gore tightened and left the outlook of the next presidency uncertain and major budget legislation in limbo.
Meanwhile, divides between the White House and GOP lawmakers over funding levels for education, labor and health care programs has blocked progress on other issues, including tax cuts and a minimum wage increase.
Sources on Capitol Hill say the issue previously stalling negotiations centers on funding trade-offs that might sacrifice items such as the labor-supported ergonomics proposals and Medicare add-ons to save education initiatives. Compromises were reportedly reached in both areas during Monday's session.
(C) 2000 UPI. All Rights Reserved.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.