BUDGET SHOWDOWN LOOMS

House Speaker Newt Gingrich predicts thatHouse-proposed cuts of $1.4 trillionwill easily pass on Thursday. Though Gingrich expects five to 10 Democrats to jump on board, a group of conservative Democrats has another idea, a plan that would wipe out deficits by 2002, but scrap the big GOP tax cuts and use the money to soften the impact on Medicare, agriculture and other domestic programs. Said Rep. Bill Orton (D-Utah.): "Rather than starting with tax cuts, let's cut spending first." In the Senate, where floor debate opens Thursday, Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tx.) is expected to seek a floor vote to insert tax cuts into the package, along the lines of the House version. Senate Budget Committee chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) plans to resist Gramm's ploy.