THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150474
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
The House approved legislation Thursday to avert a federal shutdown for another week even though President Clinton and Congress were still struggling to break an impasse over domestic programs.
Over opposition by most Democrats, the House voted 238-179 to keep dozens of agencies functioning, and the Senate stood ready to rush the measure to the White House. The bill would prevent thousands of federal offices from closing after today, help both parties escape election-year blame for a new shutdown and give bargainers more time to strike a budget compromise for a fiscal year that is nearly half over.
In the Senate, Democrats continued trying to beef up a massive $160 billion bill financing health, veterans, national parks, law enforcement and many other programs for the rest of fiscal 1996. Their efforts focused on an amendment adding $892 million for environmental programs, and Republicans - sensitive to accusations that they are anti-environment - were seeking a deal.
``We've gone more than halfway toward compromising,'' one of the GOP bargainers, Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said at midafternoon. He said Republicans were waiting to learn whether agreement could be reached with the White House.
Clinton has threatened to veto the Senate bill, and a more stringent House measure approved last week. In a pose that served him well during his balanced-budget fight with Republicans, he has been demanding about $8 billion more for social programs and wants language killed that would ease development of wetlands and Alaska's Tongass national forest. Republicans say the measures are responsible budgets for an era of big federal deficits.
Senate leaders were hoping to complete their bill this week, and planned negotiations with the House and the administration for next week. But with Congress planning a two-week Easter recess beginning March 29, it seemed possible that bargaining would last until then and that yet another temporary spending measure would be needed.
Clearly, Congress' seemingly endless budget fight was grating on lawmakers' nerves. The short-term spending bill the House approved was the 10th since fiscal 1996 began last Oct. 1, and Congress was already beginning work on the 1997 budget.
``I don't think we can sustain this much longer,'' said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., warning that Democrats would be reluctant to approve short-term bills running beyond Easter. Democrats are bothered that in the parade of 1996 stopgap bills, Republicans have held many programs to last year's spending levels or less. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
HOW THEY VOTED
A ``yes'' vote is a vote to pass the bill.
Herbert H. Bateman, R-Va.Yes
Owen B. Pickett, D-Va. No
Robert C. Scott, D-Va.Did not vote
Norman Sisisky, D-Va.No
Eva Clayton, D-N.C. No
Walter Jones Jr., R-N.C. Yes
by CNB