Senate Votes Extra Anti-Drug Funds : $1.7 Billion in Unspent Money Is Attached to 1990 Defense Bill

The Senate, acknowledging that Congress has not adequately funded the government’s highly touted war on drugs, voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to provide an extra $1.7 billion for anti-drug programs in fiscal 1990.

The measure, adopted by a vote of 90 to 9, was designed to head off another proposal authored by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) that would have funded anti-drug programs by siphoning $1.7 billion from the “Star Wars” missile defense system. Instead, the Senate decided to take the money from unspent funds left over at the end of fiscal 1989.

The vote followed a series of passionate, breast-beating floor speeches by several senators who accused the Congress of trying to get political credit for fighting drugs without actually funding the programs designed to carry out that program.

$1 Billion Appropriated

The highly publicized Anti-Drug Act of 1988 authorized $2.7 billion to be spent on combating drugs in the current fiscal year, but Congress later appropriated only about $1 billion for that purpose.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also placed some blame for underfunding the drug program at the doorstep of President Bush.

“You’ve given us cardboard cops, Mr. President,” Biden said, addressing his remarks to Bush. “You’ve given us paper prisons, Mr. President. You’ve given us tenuous treatment programs. You’ve given us nothing, Mr. President.”

Critics of the Senate-passed proposal, which was attached to the fiscal 1990 defense spending bill, condemned it as just another sleight-of-hand designed to disguise the failure of Congress to commit money for the war on drugs.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a supporter of the Harkin amendment, argued that Congress has no choice but to cut funding for defense in order to fund the war on drugs.

“You want ‘Brilliant Pebbles’ or dark streets and dark alleys?” he asked. “How many of those drugs are coming from outer space?”

“Brilliant Pebbles” is an aspect of the Strategic Defense Initiative or “Star Wars” program.

Tempers Endorsement

Earlier in the day, the Senate tempered its endorsement of the Stealth bomber, putting President Bush on notice that he still has not achieved congressional approval to proceed with the manufacture of all 132 aircraft sought by the Air Force.

By a vote of 93 to 7, the Senate approved an amendment to the fiscal 1990 defense spending bill stating that its vote to buy three more planes next year does not mean that the Administration has a blank check for the remainder of the estimated $70-billion program.

Sen. William S. Cohen (R-Me.) said that he authored the amendment because he believes that the Senate’s 98-1 vote in favor of Stealth funding last week gave the Pentagon too enthusiastic a nod for continued production of the controversial tail-less, boomerang-shaped bomber.

Unlike the House, which last week ordered a halt in funding of Stealth until the cost of the program can be scaled back, the Senate bill would cause no interruption in the production schedule as long as the bomber successfully completes initial flight tests.

Asked to characterize the Senate’s action so far on the issue of Stealth, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) replied: “I believe we’ve given a green light to three more planes. We’ve given a yellow light--a caution light--about everything thereafter.”

The Air Force already has spent $23 billion for research and development of the Stealth--known as the B-2--as well as for the initial production of five aircraft. The Senate bill contains $3.6 billion to permit the Air Force to contract for the purchase of three more B-2s in fiscal 1990.

Cohen’s amendment said that Congress cannot commit itself to producing 132 bombers until it irons out with the President the exact mission of the aircraft and until it explores the possibility of producing fewer B-2s so that the cost can be lowered.

“It is not prudent or possible at this time to commit to the production of B-2 aircraft other than under the low-rate initial production plan,” the amendment said. “Authorization of funds in this act for the low-rate initial production of three additional B-2 aircraft does not constitute a commitment to support the procurement of large numbers of B-2 aircraft, to provide funding in subsequent years for rate production of B-2 aircraft or to approve a multi-year procurement of the B-2 aircraft.”

Unlike the House, the Senate also voted to uphold a political compromise worked out between the President and congressional leaders earlier this year that would direct the Pentagon to proceed with both the production of the single-warhead Midgetman missile deployed on truck beds and the giant, 10-warhead MX missile deployed on rail cars.

Rejects Amendment

The Senate voted, 62 to 38, to reject an amendment by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) that would have cut $502 million from MX. The House last week voted to cut about $500 million from MX and to eliminate all funding for Midgetman.

At the same time, the Senate by voice vote adopted an amendment by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to permit the Coast Guard to intercept and fire upon drug-laden aircraft coming across the U.S. border. It was accepted even though Democrats protested that the Coast Guard would have no way to communicate with private aircraft before opening fire.

McConnell’s amendment is likely to be weakened or eliminated from the bill during House-Senate negotiations on the final defense spending legislation.