Line-Item Veto Bill Blocked in Senate Filibuster

Senate leaders temporarily dropped plans Wednesday to push a bill giving President Reagan strong new veto authority as they failed for the third time to stop a filibuster by critics who called the measure “mad” and said it would weaken Congress’ power.

Opponents of the line-item veto bill, which Reagan contends would enhance his ability to cut federal spending, launched an effort eight days ago to talk the measure to death by tying up most Senate business with debate.

On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled chamber voted 58 to 40 to impose cloture--in effect, to limit discussion--but 60 votes are needed for such an action. Two earlier cloture votes also had failed.

Received ‘Fair Shot’

After the latest vote, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) said that the bill had received its “fair shot” and he removed it from consideration so that the Senate could get on with other business. Dole said he had told Reagan during a meeting earlier in the day that “if we do not get cloture, the die was cast.”

But Sen. Mack Mattingly (R-Ga.) and other backers of the concept said they would not give up. They vowed to attempt to attach the proposal to other measures later in the session--while opponents promised another filibuster if they did.

The turn of events represents a setback for Reagan, who had pushed the line-item veto as part of his program to reduce the federal deficit. He personally had lobbied several wavering senators by telephone since his return to the White House on Saturday from cancer surgery.

Under the measure, Reagan could reject parts of spending bills sent to him by Congress while signing other parts. At present, he must either accept or veto a bill in its entirety.

Balance of Power Cited

Opponents contended that the change could undermine the constitutional balance of power between the President and Congress and that it could subject lawmakers to pressure if the President threatened to veto their pet programs unless he got his way on others.

While most Republicans tended to favor the measure and most Democrats were opposed, there were exceptions. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), one of the most liberal members of the Senate and a possible presidential contender in 1988, said he supports the line-item veto concept because of “the inability of Congress to extricate itself from the massive federal budget deficit.”

But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Mark O. Hatfield (R-Ore.)--whose powers would be undermined by the new veto authority--called it “one of the most dangerous proposals” he had ever seen. Hatfield vowed to revive the filibuster if the veto was brought up again and to bring “any new matter before the Senate to a halt in order to stop this mad piece of legislation.”

Only hours before his setback on the line-item veto, Reagan met behind closed doors at the White House with congressional leaders and urged House and Senate negotiators to “push, push, push” to resolve their differences over the fiscal 1986 budget, Dole said.

Clad in Pajamas, Robe

The still-recuperating President, clad in pajamas and bathrobe, reportedly urged House negotiators to accept more of the domestic spending cuts outlined under the Senate-passed budget resolution.

The budget talks, which began six weeks ago, broke down last week when Senate negotiators rejected the House’s most recent offer. Senate leaders are struggling to come up with a counteroffer that could bring the conferees back to the bargaining table this week.

(Sen. Rudy Boschwitz of Minnesota, a Republican member of the budget conference committee, said in a television interview that Senate negotiators are seriously considering a proposal to freeze Social Security cost-of-living raises for a year but to grant a double raise the next year to make up for it.)

In the face of the continued stalemate, the House Wednesday voted 242 to 184 to live within the spending guidelines of its own budget resolution until the conferees can come up with a compromise that passes both houses.