White House budget chief Portman will be on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to talk about an issue close to home — the budget for his own office.

Not that appropriators aren’t gravely concerned with OMB’s $70.9 million request for its operations, but Portman can expect to hear from members on a range of budget issues. He appears Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Financial Services subcommittee, chaired by Senate Majority Whip Durbin. This will give Senate Democrats a chance to directly question the budget chief about the administration’s assertions that war funding is needed starting by the middle of the month. Democrats contend the Pentagon can wait longer. The timeline has become a flashpoint in the showdown between the White House and congressional Democrats over whether the war spending bill should include a timetable for the withdrawal of troops. Members also likely will quiz Portman on items in the administration’s overall request.

Last week OMB also put down a marker in its challenge to Congress to reduce the amount and cost of earmarks in the fiscal 2008 bills. The president has requested the cost and number of these spending provisions be cut in half from their fiscal 2005 levels. Last week OMB released a completed version of its earmark database, which allows users to track individual earmarks by state or agency. The administration is using fiscal 2005 as the benchmark and OMB said that year’s spending bills contained 13,496 earmarks costing more than $19 billion. Earmarks are generally considered to be spending directed for individual projects or entities, but definitions beyond that vary.

Appropriators chafe at much of the earmark debate and criticism that comes their way. Critics contend the provisions lead to overspending, waste and in a few cases corruption. But appropriators point out it is their constitutional duty to decide how federal funding is spent and that the president’s budget is merely a proposal. Still, appropriators in both chambers say there have been too many earmarks in recent years. House Appropriations Chairman Obey said his goal is to cut the cost of them in half from fiscal 2006. Senate appropriators agree they should be reduced, but haven’t signed on to a specific benchmark.