The chairmen, nicknamed "the college of cardinals" by their colleagues, have the power to distribute billions of dollars a year to favored programs.

With the deficit reappearing, most members of Congress will feel entitled to push for new spending for their favored programs.

Meanwhile, to save money, Republican lawmakers have pared back a number of Mr. Bush's proposals for higher spending on favored programs like space exploration and foreign development assistance.

A favored program of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, Democrats believed that the funds had been deleted by Republicans as retaliation against the administration.

And since the wealthy are well represented in our political system, their favored programs may seem safe from the budget ax.

Any spending proposal that does not carry its own means of finance should ignite opposition from Congressional subcommittees that will fear across-the-board cuts in favored programs.

Negotiators for the House and Senate had demanded money for favored programs.

Deferring the second installment would enable lawmakers to avoid making cuts in their favored programs.

The White House said it had won an additional $476 million for favored programs involving climate change, water quality and conservation lands.

One senior official said it had become a code word used to tilt debate toward favored programs, so it was consciously excised from the document.