White House Opposes New FSX Limits : Bush Has ‘Grave Concerns’ About Senate Amendment

The White House today voiced “grave concerns” over a Senate amendment placing new restrictions on the U.S.-Japanese FSX jet fighter project, claiming that it could erode presidential authority.

Press secretary Marlin Fitzwater said President Bush told House Republicans that his Administration will work against the amendment, sponsored by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), when the measure gets to a House-Senate conference.

Bush met with GOP members in the Capitol at mid-morning.

Earlier, the State Department said new restrictions imposed by the Senate on the plan to co-produce the sophisticated new jet with Japan may force the renegotiation of parts of the agreement.

Japan said today that it will proceed with plans to develop its next jet fighter with the United States but that it remains capable of producing the plane alone. Defense Agency chief Kichiro Tazawa expressed Tokyo’s irritation over the Senate vote during a televised session of a parliamentary budget committee.

Called Unnecessary

The Senate approved the project on a 52-47 vote Tuesday. But then it adopted, 72 to 27, Byrd’s amendment to tighten the conditions under which co-development and co-production would take place.

Bush “was very pleased by the overall vote. But we do have very grave concerns about the Byrd amendment,” Fitzwater said today. “Generally, it creates a system of congressional approval over these kinds of projects that we consider to be erosive of presidential power.”

The amendment prohibits the transfer of advanced jet engine technology to the Japanese, in Byrd’s words, “under any circumstances.”

Even before Tuesday’s vote, Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger made it known that the Administration regarded the new directives as unnecessary and likely to trigger new and long negotiations.

The votes came after two days of debate in which senators emotionally and angrily denounced Japan for what they called unfair trade competition and sounded warnings that the deal could threaten U.S. dominance of the aerospace industry by transferring vital technology to Japanese industry.

“It would be foolhardy not to be vigilant in protecting our aircraft industry and the vital technologies associated with it,” Byrd said. “This nation needs to get our economic relationship with Japan on a saner and sounder track.”

The amendment was opposed by the Administration, and Senate Republican leader Bob Dole of Kansas dubbed it a “killer amendment” that would require the reopening of negotiations with the Japanese government.