Democrats, Republicans Trade Accusations : Charges Fly Over Stalled Contra Aid Bid

Less than 24 hours after the House defeated a Democratic plan for humanitarian aid to the Nicaraguan Contras, Congress was in turmoil over the issue Friday, with Democrats and Republicans trading accusations.

“There is a parliamentary stalemate here; our foreign policy is dead in the water,” said Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), who joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging that some kind of aid package for the rebels be prepared in the next few weeks.

Lugar, the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested that a $30-million humanitarian aid package could be introduced in the House or Senate. He recommended that both sides “cool off” so that a compromise can be worked out.

But House Democratic leaders, still smarting from their defeat Thursday night, gave no indication that they are prepared to undertake another battle on behalf of the Contras. Unless a new plan is entirely acceptable to them, “it will be a cold day in hell before that (Lugar’s) kind of program gets out of the House,” one leadership aide said.

Contras Concerned

Contra leaders reacted with concern to the House action. Since all U.S. assistance to the rebels ended Feb. 29, the rebels had told House members privately that they favored the Democratic proposal, if only to keep the possibility of an aid package alive.

“The vote complicates our struggle, of course, but it will not end it,” Contra spokesman Bosco Matamoros said. “It means we have to manage our resources more prudently. It means we have to return to a more classical guerrilla warfare. There is not going to be any abandonment of our people or of our effort in Nicaragua.”

It may be a while, however, before Congress returns to the Contra issue. Given the lack of direction in the House and the possibility of a filibuster tying up Senate action, it could be months, according to Democrats and Republicans alike, before another aid package is ready for approval.

As they conducted post-mortems on the House action, both sides tried to claim some kind of victory. Republicans said the 216-208 vote against the $30-million package supported by Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) was a key political defeat for Democrats and a vindication of Republican complaints that the Wright plan was weak and ineffective.

Wants Pressure on Ortega

“The plan was insufficient; it was important that it was voted down,” Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) said. “We need to approve something that will put pressure on (Nicaraguan President Daniel) Ortega to negotiate with the Contras. In that sense, we moved the process forward last night.”

Democrats charged that Republicans torpedoed the aid plan strictly for political reasons, leaving the rebels with no food, medicine or clothing for the foreseeable future. In an angry press statement, House Democratic leaders said their opponents “were saying, in effect, if we cannot send the Contras guns and bullets, we will deny them food.”

California Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Merced), the House majority whip, said: “The Democrats have gotten the Contra monkey off our backs. No one can say this party has abandoned the rebels. We’ve done our shot. It’s up to the Republicans to make the next move.”

Attention is now focused on the Senate, which last month voted in favor of President Reagan’s request for aid to the Contras, including military assistance. The vote was only symbolic, however, since the House had defeated the plan a day earlier.

Senate Plan Possible

“I think it’s possible that the Senate could initiate some kind of Contra aid plan,” said Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kan.), who voted for the Reagan plan last month and joined with Lugar in promoting a new aid package. “What we need, though, is a bipartisan agreement on what that package will be.”

Bipartisan agreement would be essential in the Senate, where members can indefinitely stall consideration of any bill.