GOP Contra Aid Plan Gains Support, White House Says

The White House on Thursday claimed “growing support” in the House for a new Republican plan to aid the Nicaraguan Contras but indicated a willingness to compromise with Democratic leaders who were trying to put down a liberal rebellion against their own proposal.

“I think that, on a bipartisan basis, everybody wants to work out an acceptable plan that can be passed, and I think that’s probably the course it’s going to take,” White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said.

House Democratic leaders maintained, however, that they have no plans to modify their $30-million humanitarian aid package despite being forced to postpone a vote on it Thursday because rebellious party liberals, who oppose aid to the Contras in any form, had threatened to sink it.

Still Predicting Victory

California Rep. Tony Coelho of Merced, the Democratic whip, continued to predict victory, saying leaders simply need another week to educate resisters on how their proposal differs from a $32-million Republican alternative.

The Democratic measure calls for a four-month program of distributing food, medicine and clothing to the Contras and to children injured by the war against the Sandinista government.

The GOP package, besides supplying humanitarian aid over a two-month period, would provide non-lethal military assistance such as jeeps and helicopter spare parts. It would also guarantee President Reagan a future vote on resuming arms shipments to the Contras.

The Democratic plan would allow such a vote only if no cease-fire is in place in Nicaragua by June 1 and if the House Intelligence Committee finds that the Contras, but not the Sandinistas, have negotiated in good faith. Even then, subsequent aid requests would be proposed by the House Democratic leader, not the Reagan Administration.

Moreover, while the Republican proposal calls for continued CIA deliveries of aid, the Democratic package would shift delivery of the humanitarian aid to the Defense Department.

At his news conference Wednesday night, Reagan indicated that he was resigned to obtaining only humanitarian aid after the House narrowly rejected a request Feb. 3 for $36.25 million in new aid, including $3.6 million in lethal assistance.

“Anything that will keep the freedom fighters as a pressure on the Sandinistas is worth doing,” he said, noting that the Contras “still have some military stores for a limited period of time.”

Opposes Delivery Shift

However, Reagan opposed shifting delivery responsibility from the CIA to the Defense Department. “You would be putting our military into a combat situation, and this is what we’ve been trying to avoid in Central America all the way,” he said.

House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) argued that passage of the Republican plan could “pave the way” for future military aid to the Contras. Only the Democratic plan, with truly humanitarian aid, would protect the Contras while simultaneously advancing the peace process, he said.

Rep. Howard Wolpe (D-Mich.) predicted that most fellow liberals will fall in line behind the Democratic package after they realize that its defeat would lead moderate Democrats to join Republicans in approving more military help.

“I’m very certain that we will have the votes to pass this next week,” Wolpe said.

Times staff writer Josh Getlin contributed to this story.