Lower House OKs $25-Billion Budget

The lower house of Russia’s parliament approved the draft 1999 budget in its third reading, but a top official said Russia will have to wait months for desperately needed foreign aid. First Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Maslyukov said the International Monetary Fund was prepared to give Russia loans only after the Cabinet has implemented the budget for three months to prove its feasibility. The budget proposal calls for government spending of $25 billion and revenue of $21 billion for the whole year. The U.S. government collects and spends more than $30 billion in an average week.