Additionally, Mr. Gore was doing it in the context of the ever-expanding surplus projections that have become one of the brightest legacies of the Clinton administration.
Mr. Bush had sought to limit the increase in these programs to 4percentt next year after an increase of 8.5percentt in the current fiscal year and amid a growing sense, especially among conservatives, that budget discipline was breaking down in an era of expanding budget surpluses.
Indeed, it might be hoped that if China's trade surplus stops expanding and consumer demand plays a bigger role in growth, international trade tensions should subside.
That means that on Tuesday, the sprawling $44 billion enterprise that is the New York City government will to a large extent merely return to service levels that were common before Mr. Giuliani went on a second-term spending spree, expanding city programs with surpluses fueled by Wall Street.
In yuan terms, imports fell 18.1%, exports decreased 2.8% and the trade surplus expanded 65%.
The current-account surplus expanded to $9.3 billion in the year to the first quarter, as oil exports boomed.
Germany's 12-month trade surplus expanded to $64.4 billion in May, and its current-account deficit narrowed to $21.5 billion.
Japan's trade surplus expanded in January, the first rise in 19 months, as imports fell by more than 9percentt.
The sharp decrease in imports meant the trade surplus expanded 65.6% year on year to $59.49bn, according to the data.
The June surplus expanded by 36.9percentt from a year earlier, to 1.15 trillion yen $10.5 billionn) as exports rose 19.4percenttoto 5.29 trillion yen and imports gained 15.3percenttoto 4.14 trillion yen.
Japan's merchandise trade surplus expanded 20.4percentt in February compared with the same month a year ago as exports to China offset a decline in shipments to the United States.
