U.S. DEMOCRATS RAM BUDGET THROUGH COMMITTEE
Democrats rammed through the House
Budget Committee a trillion dollar U.S. spending budget for
1988 over Republican protests.
    After a brief partisan debate in which Republicans said
they were kept in the dark about the plan, the committee
approved the budget by voice vote and sent it to the full
House. 
    It was the first major congressional action on a U.S.
budget for the government year starting October 1 this year.
    President Reagan has had his own budget virtually ignored
by Democrats and fellow Republicans alike.
    The House budget would cut the deficit about 38 billion
dlrs off an estimated 171-billion-dlr deficit for a 133-
billion-dlr deficit, using Congressional Budget Office
estimates.
    Using President Reagan's more optimistic economic
assumptions, committee Democrats said the deficit would be 107
billion -- the goal of a new budget law designed to gradually
end deficits by 1991.
    The estimated deficit for this year is about 175 billion
dlrs.
 Reuter
