Will There Be a Budget?

That's the question thousands were asking last week, from university presidents to meat inspectors, as the federal government approached the October 1 beginning of the 1991 fiscal year without a budget plan.

Congressional leaders and Administration officials were huddled in negotiations over a plan that would reduce the $170-billion budget deficit by $50-billion. Failing to reach an agreement would prompt $105.7-billion in automatic cuts under the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings