U.S. AGRICULTURE SECY DOUBTFUL ON DEFICIT GOAL
U.S. Agriculture Secretary
Richard Lyng today publicly expressed doubts that the federal
government would meet the fiscal year 1988 deficit reduction
target set by the  Gramm-Rudman law.
    "I don't think anyone believes we'll meet the 108 billion
dlr target," Lyng told the Virginia Farm Bureau.
    Lyng is believed to be the first top administration
official to publicly express doubts the target would be met.
    The remark was quickly disavowed by the White House Office
of Management and Budget (OMB). "His 'no one' does not include
the OMB," said spokesman Edwin Dale.
    Lyng made the remark while describing the need for the
agriculture sector to share the burden of cutbacks under last
year's Gramm-Rudman law.
    "There needs to be some reduction of some expenditures to at
least get close to the Gramm-Rudman figure," he said.
"Agriculture would not be independent from that."
     Lyng's special assistant, Floyd Gabler, said the remark
was an opinion based on Lyng's discussions with congressmen.
    "If the Secretary said that he's simply expressing an
opinion he's gotten from the progress or lack of progress on
the Hill," he said.
 Reuter
