Senate Rejects Defense Cuts to Aid Schools

The fiscal 1990 budget agreement between President Bush and Congress survived its first big congressional test Wednesday when senators rejected an attempt to take $3 billion from the Pentagon and give it to education programs.

With both houses of Congress debating the $1.16-trillion budget resolution, the Senate voted 64 to 31 to kill an amendment by Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) that would have reduced the roughly $300-billion defense budget by $3 billion.

Any cut in defense spending below the level agreed upon by budget negotiators would have violated the budget pact announced by Bush and congressional leaders April 14. Simon’s amendment would have given the $3 billion taken from the Pentagon to federal education programs.

Funds for Veterans

Earlier, the Senate passed by voice vote an amendment increasing by $198 million the funds for veterans’ health care programs to meet what supporters called an unprecedented crisis. The extra money would be taken from a number of travel and printing accounts.

The House Budget Committee last week approved an extra $150 million for veterans health care, and the full House is expected to consider as early as today an amendment to increase it another $175 million.