
DATE: Thursday, June 26, 1997               TAG: 9706260375

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A8   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORT 

DATELINE: WASHINGTON                        LENGTH:   84 lines

HOUSE BILL LACKS FUNDING FOR SHIPS, SUBS BUT BACKERS ARE CONFIDENT THEY'LL GET THOSE PROGRAMS IN FINAL DEFENSE BILL.

The House passed a $268 billion defense spending plan for 1998 on Wednesday that lacks submarine and aircraft carrier construction initiatives vital to the Navy and Hampton Roads.

But Congress is far from finished with the bill and supporters of the carrier and sub programs said this week that they're optimistic about securing both before the measure reaches President Clinton's desk in September.

A Senate version of the legislation, scheduled for debate early next month, would give the Navy permission to implement an innovative submarine-building plan and would provide a $345 million down payment on a new carrier.

The flattop, which would not be delivered to the Navy until around 2008, would be built at Newport News Shipbuilding and would be the 10th and last Nimitz-class carrier. The Peninsula yard also would build pieces of each boat in a new series of attack submarines, working with former rival Electric Boat of Groton, Conn.

The two yards say their teaming can save the government $700 million on the first four subs in the 30-ship class, reducing their total cost from $10 billion to $9.3 billion.

While it leaves the carrier and sub programs in limbo, the bill passed Wednesday by a 304-120 tally had at least one piece of welcome news for the Hampton Roads economy: It would deny the Pentagon permission to conduct a new round of base closings in 1999.

Again however, the Senate has yet to be heard from. Base closing supporters there, including Virginia Sens. Charles S. Robb and John W. Warner, are expected to push hard for the creation of an independent commission to review the military's base structure and recommend new closings and restructurings.

The Pentagon has conducted four rounds of base closings since 1988, cutting its infrastructure by 21 percent while it was reducing its end strength by around 36 percent. President Clinton and Defense Secretary William S. Cohen say more closings will free up funds the military can use to acquire more weapons.

``We'll have to get the money other ways to do the things we need to be doing,'' said Rep. Floyd Spence, R-S.C., chairman of the House National Security Committee.

In a rare reversal before the final vote, the House overturned a decision made two days earlier to cut off $210 million in arms reduction aid to Russia if Moscow sells anti-ship cruise missiles, with a 60-mile range, to China. Republicans led the charge on that issue, warning that the ``Sunburn'' missiles could be sold by China to Iran where they might threaten Navy ships in the Persian Gulf.

The House had voted 215-206 Monday for the amendment sponsored by Reps. Gerald Solomon, R-N.Y., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.

Belatedly energized against the measure, the Clinton administration enlisted Rep. Ronald Dellums, D-Calif., senior Democrat on the National Security Committee, to engineer a revote on Wednesday.

Dellums buttonholed individual members and distributed handbills with arguments against the aid cutoff. He emphasized that the aid was being used to help Russia dismantle missiles that formerly were pointed at the United States, so cutting it off could hurt America.

A net 11 votes switched, leading to a 219-204 vote against the funding cutoff. No Virginia lawmakers were among those changing their votes. Hampton Roads Democrats Owen B. Pickett, Robert C. Scott and Norman Sisisky and Republican Herbert H. Bateman all supported continuing the aid.

The defense bill adds $2.6 billion to Clinton's request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and is $5 billion above this year's spending.

Among the money-saving measures designed to free cash for new weapons is a requirement that the Pentagon cut 124,000 jobs of the nearly 300,000 involved in procurement over the next four years. Spence also inserted language in the bill requiring the Pentagon to cut 13,000 jobs out of 53,000 in various management headquarters over four years. And the Office of the Secretary of Defense would have to cut its staff by 20 percent. The Senate has not completed work on the bill. MEMO: This story was compiled from reports by staff writer Dale Eisman

and The Associated Press. 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. Yes

Robert C. Scott, D-Va. Yes

Norman Sisisky, D-Va. Yes

Eva Clayton, D-N.C. No

Walter Jones Jr., R-N.C. Yes