Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 13, 1995                   TAG: 9507130055
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Medium

HOUSE HAS TOUGH GOING AS IT WHACKS PROGRAMS

In an unusual but temporary setback for the GOP leadership, the House voted to block debate on a $12 billion Interior Department bill after a core of newer, conservative Republicans objected that the measure did not cut the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities deeply enough.

Party leaders planned to revisit the bill on Thursday and give the conservatives a better shot at slashing the cultural agencies. But they were forced to do that only after lawmakers voted 238-192 to reject the rules for debate.

A majority of Democrats objecting that many of the bill's cuts were too deep were joined by 61 Republicans complaining that the measure's three-year phaseout of the arts and humanities agencies was too slow.

``That doesn't demonstrate that we're moving toward the fiscal discipline many of us came here to accomplish,'' said Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., one of the freshmen who voted to block debate.

The vote was a show of strength for the chamber's newer members, many of whom take conservative positions and who have spent much of the year trying to push their leaders even further to the right.

The House did complete one budgetary chore, approving an $18.7 billion bill for energy and water programs in 1996. But the difficulty of making the tough choices as Republicans begin their seven-year effort to balance the budget was evident as GOP lawmakers rejected cuts to projects they care about.

In the energy and water bill, passed 400-27, the legislators approved one amendment by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., to kill a $20 million project to develop a gas-cooled nuclear reactor.

But Republicans took the lead in defeating Obey's proposals to eliminate an $18 million nuclear waste treatment program and $40 million for an advanced light water reactor.

House Science Committee Chairman Robert Walker, R-Pa., characterized Democratic attempts to cut scientific projects as ``mindless cannibalism of basic research.''

Republicans were joined by Democrats in defeating amendments by Rep. Scott Klug, R-Wis., to wipe out all $142 million in funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission and the $103 million to run the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Rep. Zack Wamp, R-Tenn., who has 6,000 TVA workers in his district, said the TVA is not perfect, but the Pentagon, the White House and Congress aren't either. ``I haven't seen any amendments to zero those core functions out.''

Democrats, meanwhile, were incensed by a bill passed by an Appropriations subcommittee at 3 a.m. Wednesday that made large cuts in Head Start, job training programs and low income energy aid.

``The Gingrich Republicans turned the Republican revolution into the Midnight Massacre,'' said Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich., the Democratic whip.