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Gop Predicts Budget Approval But Democrats Call Blueprint An Extremist ‘Salute To Newt’

Associated Press

Confident Republicans predicted Tuesday that their compromise budget-balancing outline will sail through Congress this week.

Democrats accused them of producing an extremist “salute to Newt.”

Democrats did not contest the GOP’s victory predictions but tried to paint Republicans as having abandoned the mainstream. Democrats renewed their assault on the majority party’s vision of trimming spending on Medicare, welfare and other social programs while paring taxes by $245 billion over seven years for many businesses and families - including the wealthy.

“I can’t imagine someone like Nelson Rockefeller looking at a document like this and doing anything other than throwing up,” said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., referring to his late uncle who was a moderate GOP governor of New York and vice president of the United States.

“I call it a salute to Newt,” said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

Led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., the House had approved bigger tax cuts and deeper spending reductions than the Senate. The compromise moved many figures toward the House version, boosting planned savings from Medicare, Medicaid and student loans and pumping up the size of the Senateapproved tax reduction by $75 billion. The proposal claims a balanced budget will be achieved in 2002 with $894 billion in savings over the next seven years.

“My head count … would indicate we have the votes to pass” the plan, said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

Senate GOP aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they are certain of at least 51 Republican votes, precisely enough to assure passage in the 100-member chamber.

In the House, attendees of a morning meeting of GOP vote-counters said no major concerns were expressed about the budget and final passage seems all but assured. That squares with expressions of support that came last week from newer conservative House members, who had preferred deeper tax cuts than the compromise contains.