The Nation : Miller Warns of Possible Spending Cuts

White House budget chief James C. Miller III, attempting to keep the pressure on Congress to curb spending, warned on NBC’s “Today” program that it may be necessary to impose Gramm-Rudman automatic budget cuts on a wide variety of domestic and military programs only a month before November’s election. But budget officials on Capitol Hill dismissed Miller’s warning, pointing out that lawmakers will be able to take relatively easy steps to prevent the automatic cuts. Under the Gramm-Rudman budget law, Miller’s Office of Management and Budget is required to estimate by Aug. 15 whether Congress is expected to meet its $146-billion deficit target for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. If OMB estimates that the deficit will exceed the limit, lawmakers can take steps before Oct. 1 to avoid the automatic cuts.