Bush Urges Weekly Budget Talks : Wants Sessions With Congress Leaders for Early Accord

WASHINGTON —  President Bush promised today to submit a detailed budget in early February and proposed weekly high-level negotiations between Congress and the White House to forge an early compromise.

Bush made the comments in harmonious get-acquainted meetings at the White House with leaders of the House and Senate, according to Administration and congressional participants.

The leaders accepted readily his “offered hand” and gave him high marks for his early efforts to make political peace. But Democrats withheld a decision on the proposal for weekly meetings.

“I think there is a very hopeful sense that we’re going to be able to find bipartisanship almost everywhere,” said House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.), speaking both of domestic and foreign policy.

‘A Serious Effort’

“There is a serious effort on both parts to seek avenues that we can walk together, without quarreling,” he said.

Presidential Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said the proposal for weekly sessions was spelled out at the second of two meetings by budget director-designate Richard G. Darman.

Fitzwater conceded that Bush had, however, abandoned his earlier plan to send budget negotiators to meet with Congress on the first day of his presidency. “Day one is over. And we didn’t do it,” he said.

Instead, the spokesman said the Administration proposed the weekly budget sessions--he said he wanted to avoid the term “summits”--to be attended by top House and Senate leaders, as well as chairmen of various committees with budget and tax-writing jurisdiction.

Fitzwater said that Darman and Treasury Secretary Nicholas F. Brady would join the talks and that Bush might occasionally get involved.

‘Very Warm Welcome’

Wright presented Bush with a bottle of hot pepper sauce and a jar of pork rinds--culinary favorites of the President--at the outset of the meeting. “We want to give a very warm welcome to the President,” he joked.

Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle met with 18 congressional leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House. The hourlong session was followed by a shorter one with the five most senior leaders of Congress.

“It would be to our advantage to have the leadership meet in an informal sort of way from time to time, moving the process along, that it doesn’t get to lag and drag,” House Republican leader Robert H. Michel told reporters, speaking of the plan for weekly meetings.

Democratic leaders said they did not immediately accept Darman’s proposal.

“We’re eager to consult; the question will be at what point the consultation begins,” Wright said.

According to those present, Bush did not express any views but went around the table allowing each of the lawmakers to speak.

The congressional leaders said the word taxes was not mentioned once in the conversations with Bush.