Aid to Contras Held Up; O’Neill Blamed by GOP

Although both the House and Senate have voted to resume U.S. military assistance to the Nicaraguan rebels, continued political maneuvering in Congress is likely to keep the aid from starting as scheduled on Oct. 1.

The delay has upset many supporters of the Nicaraguan resistance as well as President Reagan, who wrote a letter to Congress last week demanding quick release of the $100-million assistance package. But so far, his appeal has had no impact on the stalemate.

The aid, which was approved by both chambers of Congress as part of broader legislation appropriating construction funds for the military, is being held up because members of the House and Senate have not met yet to resolve differences in the bill that have nothing to do with aid for the contras, as the Nicaraguan rebels are called .

Opponent Blamed

Senate Republicans blame House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr. (D-Mass.), a longtime opponent of the aid, for effectively blocking final congressional approval by refusing to allow House conferees to meet with their Senate counterparts.

“It appears that the Speaker has decided to deprive the contras of cash to the last possible hour,” said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.).

House conferees contend there are some highly technical procedural reasons why they cannot meet with the Senate conferees now. At the same time, sources acknowledge that the House Democratic leadership is delaying final approval for tactical reasons involving other legislation unrelated to the contras package.

O’Neill’s aides insist that the Speaker played no role in the decision of the House members to postpone their meeting with the senators. “The Speaker has done nothing to hold this up,” said Christopher J. Matthews, spokesman for O’Neill.

Omnibus Bill

Eventually, the issue of assistance for the contras will likely be resolved as part of an omnibus spending bill that will be passed by Congress shortly before adjournment in mid-October.

Even staunch opponents of the aid say they expect the $100-million package to be approved then, as a rider to the spending bill, which would delay delivery of the aid no more than a few weeks beyond the beginning of the 1987 fiscal year on Oct. 1.

Matthews argued that O’Neill has nothing to gain by delaying the aid for only a few weeks. But another House Democratic aide, who declined to be identified, said that the House Democrats obtain some advantage by including contras aid in the omnibus spending bill, which is expected to include controversial cuts in defense spending opposed by Reagan.

“The President will never veto as long as it includes contra aid,” he said.