THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9408180518
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
The House passed a $263.8 billion defense budget Wednesday giving President Clinton almost everything he requested, plus a larger pay raise for the military.
With a 280-137 vote, the House sent the authorization bill to the Senate for final passage and shipment to Clinton.
The measure slightly increases Clinton's defense budget request for next year and represents an increase of $2.8 billion over this year's defense budget. Adjusted for inflation, that translates into a defense spending cut of just under 1 percent, the 10th consecutive real decline in defense spending.
Conservative Democrats and Republicans characterized the bill as a bare-bones budget, with barely enough money to meet the nation's military needs.
``The services are being asked to do more with less and are therefore overextended,'' said Rep. Floyd Spence, R-S.C.
Liberals on the House Armed Services Committee, including the chairman, Rep. Ronald Dellums, D-Calif., said the measure only begins to make defense cuts warranted by the demise of the Soviet Union.
``The Cold War is over, the Berlin Wall is down,'' Dellums said. ``It is very difficult for some of us to march into the future boldly.'' ILLUSTRATION: HIGHLIGHTS
2.6 percent military pay raise, compared with 1.6 percent
requested by President Clinton.
$3.6 billion for a new aircraft carrier to be built at Newport
News Shipbuilding.
$3.5 billion for defense conversion, including money to help
laid-off defense workers and communities hurt by defense spending
cuts.
$2.7 billion for three DDG-51 Arleigh Burke guided-missile
destroyers.
$2.4 billion for six C-17 airlifters and procurement funding for
eight more C-17s in 1996.
Cancellation of the Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile; Clinton
had requested $606 million for 48 missiles. The move saves $298
million, with the rest devoted to further testing before proceeding
to production.
$1.1 billion for 24 Navy FA-18 C and D fighter and attack
aircraft.
$607 million for the Milstar II communications satellite system.
$100 million to reactivate three SR-71 Blackbird spy planes.
Research and development funding: $2.5 billion for the F-22
fighter; $507 million for the new attack submarine; $497 million for
the Marine Corps V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft; and $525 million for the
Army's Comanche helicopter.
KEYWORDS: PROPOSED DEFENSE BUDGET by CNB