MX Foes Get New Hope in Appropriations Panel Vote

The House Appropriations Committee gave fresh hope to opponents of the MX missile today by voting 28 to 26 to recommend a halt to more spending on the powerful, intercontinental weapon.

The committee decision sets the stage for a lengthy, emotional battle next week on the House floor, where Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr. (D-Mass.) predicted there will be an extremely close vote.

“It’s a hard fight,” O’Neill said. “It’s a vote of conscience. We still think we have an excellent chance of winning.”

But within hours of the Appropriations Committee’s action, the House Armed Services Committee, as expected, voted 37 to 8 to support continued MX funding, and the full Senate was expected to reaffirm its backing for the 10-warhead, land-based missile.

Double Vote Required

Under an agreement established last fall, two votes are required in both houses of Congress, and the Senate voted 55 to 45 to approve $1.5 billion for 21 additional MXs in its first vote Tuesday. (Story on Page 8.)

The House Armed Services Committee, led by Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), has consistently recommended the MX, and its members represent a strong, pro-defense voice in the Democratic House.

One committee member and an MX foe, Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.), dismissed the argument that the missile is needed for the success of the Geneva arms control talks.

“It is like saying you have to open 14 boxes of caramels and chocolates before you go on a diet,” she said.

Fight Isn’t Over

While President Reagan and MX supporters seemed to hold the edge, the House Appropriations Committee vote indicated the congressional fight is not over.