Capital Watch
Budget office cuts deficit projection

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WASHINGTON — The Congressional Budget Office says it believes its March projection for a federal deficit of $477 billion this year was too high, although the red ink still seems all but certain to set a record.

The budget office, Congress' nonpartisan fiscal analyst, provided no new figure and won't update its estimate formally until summer. Nonetheless, the improved outlook paralleled Wall Street firms that have revised their forecasts for the better, marking the first time in several years that experts are saying their earlier estimates were too gloomy.

Last year's $374 billion deficit was the worst ever in dollar terms.

The lower projection, prompted mostly by higher-than-expected federal revenues, means mixed election-year news for President Bush. Although this year's shortfall will be better than envisioned earlier, Bush still will have presided over huge and growing deficits each of his three years in office after four consecutive annual surpluses under President Clinton.

Through the first seven months of the government's budget year, the deficit already is at $284 billion, the budget office said. That is $82 billion worse than the same period last year.

Court ruling a partial victory in bid to release Clinton files

A federal appeals court yesterday removed one barrier to the release of some internal records about controversial Clinton administration pardons, but the documents will remain secret for now.

A panel of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia voted 2-1 that the White House can't claim Justice Department records are covered by a special exemption from the Freedom of Information Act reserved for "presidential communications."

In a partial victory for the government-accountability organization Judicial Watch, the appeals court sent that part of the case back to a lower-court judge to consider whether the White House can continue to refuse to release the records on other grounds.

Judicial Watch sued in 2001 to see the ordinarily private records compiled by the lawyers and others who choose which convicts or prisoners will receive presidential pardons or clemency.
 
Former President Clinton caused an uproar when he approved 177 pardons on his last day in office. Judicial Watch wants documents that would address, among other controversies, behind-the-scenes deliberations on the pardon granted to fugitive financier Marc Rich and the lobbying by Clinton's brother Roger Clinton on behalf of other pardon applicants.

Industry groups support Bush plan for moon, Mars

Thirteen advocacy groups, industry associations and space-policy organizations announced support yesterday for President Bush's vision to send astronauts to the moon and Mars.

The show of unity was unusual in a field where scientists and industry officials often have clashed over space-mission priorities such as equipment types and destination points. The move reflected concern about the need to promote a revitalized U.S. space program, the groups said.

In January, Bush announced his plan to retire the space shuttle by 2010 and to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020 and ultimately on to Mars. Some lawmakers have questioned proposed costs and risks.