GOP leaders expect to finish budget talks today

After huddling Monday evening with top administration officials, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, told CongressDaily that negotiators were close to agreement on all lingering disputes in the omnibus spending bill, including such sticky issues as the census and funding for the International Monetary Fund.

But one new wrinkle did emerge, according to a leadership aide, who said Republicans were now insisting on tying funds for special education to President Clinton's proposal to hire 100,000 new teachers.

"Everything is close," Armey said, adding that there remained "only a last concern on just about everything."

Armey described today's talks as a "mopping up" effort on the final matters. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin plans to head to Capitol Hill this morning to nail down the last details of an agreement on the IMF issue, while White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles plans to return to the Hill today at 1 p.m.

Emerging from Monday evening's bargaining session with Armey and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., Bowles said they "made significant progress" and that "some issues have been closed," although he declined to elaborate. But Bowles added, "The big ones still are open," including education and the environment.

Bowles and Gingrich both made the point in separate comments that, despite any tentative agreement on individual items, "nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to."

Republican Conference Chairman John Boehner of Ohio said he expects Congress to wrap up "Wednesday or Thursday." Appropriations Chairman Bob Livingston, R-La., said appropriators "are pretty well finished with our role [in the talks], other than in an advisory capacity." Livingston said that "85 to 90 percent" of the outstanding issues in the omnibus bill had been settled Monday, with GOP leaders and the White House responsible for deciding the final sticking points.

While Republican leaders were sounding an optimistic note, Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., offered a more pessimistic assessment. Obey told reporters Monday evening, "A deal won't get done tomorrow," and laid the blame for the slow going at the feet of the House leadership.

"Gingrich and Armey are very bright fellows, but they've never been chairmen," Obey said. "I do not fault Livingston in the slightest. He's a good chairman."

Obey added that House leaders do not yet have the votes to pass the omnibus bill, saying, "If we brought the package to the floor as it is, it would blow sky high."

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., Monday said the Senate will take no recorded votes until Wednesday-and that the only vote then would be on the omnibus appropriations bill.

"It is hoped that the remaining legislation of the 105th Congress can be cleared by unanimous consent," Lott said on the floor. "However, if a roll call vote is needed on the omnibus bill, all members will be given ample notice in order to plan their schedules accordingly."

Mark Wegner also contributed to this story.