Contra Aid Bills Lose in House : Democratic Plan’s Defeat Leaves Issue in Disarray

In a stunning turnaround, the House on Thursday defeated a $30-million non-military aid package for the Nicaraguan Contras, dealing a major setback to Democratic leaders and leaving Congress in disarray on the volatile issue.

On a 216-208 vote, House members from both parties rejected a Democratic-sponsored plan that would have provided food, medicine and clothing to the rebels, as well as medical aid to children who have been injured in the Nicaraguan guerrilla war.

The vote was a surprise because the House, on a procedural ballot only minutes earlier, had endorsed the Democratic plan by 215 to 210. When the final decision was made, however, several liberals and conservatives switched their votes and defeated the aid proposal.

GOP Alternative Killed

As a result, the Contra aid issue is momentarily dead in Congress while both sides regroup. A Republican alternative that would have provided $36 million in non-lethal aid to the rebels also was killed on the procedural vote. In the aftermath, Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for the rejection of the plan and tried to make the most of a confusing political situation.

“This vote leaves the Contras . . . without any meaningful help,” said Rep. Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.), who led the fight against the Democratic plan. “Right now, I’d say the pressure is on the Speaker of the House to come up with a new plan that will actually be acceptable to most of the members. The ball is in their court.”

Democrats strongly disagreed, saying that they had honored a commitment to bring a non-military aid package to the House for a vote and that future initiatives to help the Contras would have to come from the Senate or the White House.

‘Pyrrhic Victory’

House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) said that the decision was a “Pyrrhic victory” for Republicans because now there is no legislation pending in Congress to aid the rebels.

“Maybe they (Republicans) are only interested in a military solution,” he said.

California Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Merced), the House majority whip, added that Democrats had “made it clear to the Republicans that we would need their support to help pass this package.”

“We knew that, on the final vote, we would lose some Democrats and that the Republicans would have to provide some support to us to make up the difference,” Coelho said. “For whatever reasons, they chose not to. So now there is nothing pending. There is nothing on the table.”

Forty-five Democrats voted against the measure, and five Republicans cast ballots for it.

President Reagan reacted to the vote with dismay and called on Congress to develop an assistance package “of sufficient quantity to sustain the Nicaraguan freedom fighters. If not, the prospects for peace and democracy inside Nicaragua will diminish quickly,” he said in a statement released by the White House.

Nicaraguan Reaction

In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega’s office issued a statement saying the vote “should contribute to the peace efforts” being conducted under a five-nation Central American peace agreement.

“President Reagan’s Administration now has the opportunity to end all types of aid to the mercenary forces and to support the direct cease-fire talks (with the Contras)” that Ortega offered Wednesday night, the statement said.

Earlier in the day, House Democratic leaders were confident that their plan would be approved, predicting a victory margin of at least 10 votes. They also said that the House would reject the rival Republican package.

Nervous About Plan

Privately, however, Coelho and other strategists knew that they could not count on the support of several liberals who oppose Contra aid and were nervous about endorsing the Democratic plan. Winning their support, one leadership aide said, “was like doing brain surgery. . . . It was a very difficult process.”

The problem surfaced last month, when the House narrowly defeated a Reagan Administration request for Contra aid that included $3.6 million for military assistance. House Speaker Wright won the support of about 40 wavering moderates when he promised that they would be able to vote on a non-military aid package within several weeks.

But liberals were never comfortable with the idea, and party leaders spent much of the last week trying to win their votes. Although they helped approve the Democratic plan on the procedural ballot--and effectively killed the GOP plan--they switched their votes minutes later.

‘Great Deal of Pressure’

“This was a very tough vote for a lot of Democratic liberals,” said California Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), a Contra aid opponent who reluctantly voted for the aid package both times. “They were under a great deal of pressure this week.”

Among the eight liberals who voted against the aid package were House members Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles, Jim Bates of San Diego and Barbara Boxer of Greenbrae. Others included Joseph P. Kennedy II and Joseph D. Early of Massachusetts, Mary Rose Oakar of Ohio, Jim Moody and Robert W. Kastenmeier of Wisconsin and Alan Wheat of Missouri.

Questionable Victory

If the vote was a setback for Democrats, it may have been a questionable victory for Republicans. All U.S. aid to the Contras expired Feb. 29, and Edwards conceded that it may be a while before the rebels receive any more assistance in their battle against Nicaragua’s Sandinista rulers.

Republicans support the Contras, he said, “but this plan we were being asked to vote on was a lousy plan. It was no plan at all.”

During a frequently testy debate, Republicans charged that the Democratic aid package would undermine the Contras’ ability to wage war and was poorly constructed. In particular, they attacked a provision that would require the Defense Department to deliver the aid.

‘Howling for Years’

That could “pave the way” for the U.S. military to become involved in the Nicaraguan war, House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.) said. “The Democrats have been howling for years about using the military in Central America, and now we have this plan.”

Wright and others angrily responded that there was no intention of using U.S. military forces to deliver the aid, explaining that the Defense Department could use private contractors to carry the aid, much as the CIA has been doing for years.

Freezing Reagan Out

Republicans also criticized the plan for freezing Reagan out of a decision to seek further aid for the rebels. Under the proposal, the House Intelligence Committee alone would make the decision to seek further assistance.

Finally, Edwards and other Republicans were angered that House Democratic leaders had adopted a parliamentary rule guaranteeing that the Republican-sponsored plan would not come up for a separate vote.

Back to Drawing Board

“They (Democrats) had better go back to the drawing boards now,” he said. “If they want people to believe they’re really concerned about the Contras, now is the time.”

But Coelho dismissed that criticism, saying Democrats had proved their point.

“We said we would bring forth a proposal, and we did,” he said. “But their right wing wanted to play politics and embarrass us. They wanted to go cold turkey, which is exactly where we are now.”