House Votes Cuts in Bush Defense Plan : $2-Billion Slash in Star Wars Spending; Curbs on B-2 OKd

The House, deliberating less than an hour and ignoring talk of a possible veto, today approved a $286.5-billion military spending bill that makes wholesale changes in President Bush’s defense program.

By a 312-105 vote, the House approved a spending plan that slashes nearly $2 billion for “Star Wars” from the President’s request, strictly limits the B-2 Stealth bomber program and makes drastic cuts in the MX and Midgetman nuclear missiles.

Despite the unusually rapid approval of the costly bill by the Democratic-controlled House, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. William L. Dickinson of Alabama, said Bush may veto the measure.

Aides to Recommend Veto

The White House budget office said the President’s senior advisers will recommend a veto on the ground that the measure “would severely compromise the Administration’s objective of providing adequate defense capabilities within constrained resources.”

“They have conformed,” Dickinson said of the appropriations measure that conforms to the separate defense authorization bill the House adopted last week. “But that still makes it veto-bait in my opinion.”

The bill, approved as Congress rushed to complete pending business before starting a monthlong recess, slashed $2 billion from classified programs that include the advanced fighter and advanced cruise missile.

House Cuts Included

The money bill also incorporates the cuts the House made in the strategic defense initiative anti-missile program, the B-2 Stealth bomber and the MX and Midgetman nuclear missiles in the policy-setting authorization bill.

Dickinson said he hoped that when members of the Senate and House meet early in September to craft a final version of the bill, the “most egregious add-ons and deletions can be modified and limited to make it acceptable to the Administration.”

But he said as they stand now, he does not support the authorization and appropriations bills and will recommend that Bush veto the legislation.

“I think it will be vetoed,” Dickinson said.