House Passes Foreign Aid Bill of $25.2 Billion

The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a two-year, $25.2-billion foreign aid measure opposed by President Reagan but laden with provisions favored by congressional conservatives, including help for anti-Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua and repeal of the nine-year-old ban on U.S. support for anti-Communist forces in Angola.

The House action, coming after Senate approval of a foreign aid measure in May, marked the first time since 1981 that both chambers of Congress have adopted a full-blown bill providing assistance to other nations.

House-Senate conferees now must attempt to iron out differences between the two bills and strike a compromise with the White House, which has raised the threat of a presidential veto.

Rep. Dante Fascell (D-Fla.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Administration officials opposed the bill because they would rather continue operating the foreign assistance program on stopgap funding measures--as they have done for the past four years--than accept the policy restrictions imposed on them by Congress.

“They thought they could get more money with less barnacles that way,” he said.

The House version provides for about $600 million less each year than the Administration sought and about $200 million less in aid funds than Reagan says is necessary for military assistance to U.S. allies. In addition, Administration officials are known to object to a provision denying sophisticated weaponry to Jordan--such as aircraft and new air defense systems--until that country recognizes Israel and joins the Middle East peace process.

Jets, Missiles Sought

Jordan’s King Hussein has expressed interest in buying F-16 aircraft as well as Stinger and Hawk missiles.

Despite the White House objections, House Democratic leaders won GOP support for the bill by allowing Republicans to load up the measure with conservative amendments, including provisions that would deny funds for abortion, impose restrictions on aid to the left-wing government of Mozambique and supply assistance for anti-Soviet guerrillas in Afghanistan.

At the same time, the aid bill contains an array of features popular with House liberals, including more economic development assistance and less military aid than previous foreign aid bills, an additional $1.5 billion in supplemental funds for Israel during the current fiscal year and reaffirmation of a ban on U.S. recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Passes by Voice Vote

As a result, the normally controversial measure passed by a highly unusual voice vote, and White House loyalists, such as Assistant Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), predicted that the House-Senate conference committee would find a formula for averting a veto.

“That’s about as good a foreign aid bill as we’re going to get out of this House,” said Lott, who condemned some of Reagan’s objections as “ludicrous.”

The House has passed a foreign aid bill in each of the last four years, but the Republican-controlled Senate has failed to do so--largely because it got bogged down in controversies that the Administration wanted to avoid. But this year, the Senate acted even before the House by adopting a two-year, $25.6-billion bill on May 15.

Fascell acknowledged that he won support for the House-passed bill by allowing opponents to add their pet amendments. As he put it: “You can take your pick of the amendments. All had some importance to someone.”

His strategy worked so well that conservatives such as California Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Buena Park) and liberals such as California Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Studio City) both praised the measure before final passage. And Rep. William S. Broomfield (R-Mich.) was persuaded to withdraw his so-called Republican alternative, which was closer to the bill proposed by Reagan.

Conservatives praised the bill because it would provide $30 million in aid to the rebels in Afghanistan, $27 million to anti-Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua and $10 million to the non-Communist rebels in Cambodia and because it lifts the ban on U.S. aid to guerrillas fighting the Soviet-backed regime in Angola.

In addition, conservatives hailed amendments that would beef up military aid to the Philippines, permit the President to deny aid to countries that consistently oppose this country in the United Nations and deny funds to international organizations for abortion, an action that could affect China, and which prompted condemnation from that country Thursday.