Senate Passes Emergency Spending Bill; Veto Likely

The Senate defied a presidential veto threat Friday and passed a $7.5-billion emergency spending bill after adding a provision allowing military women and dependents to have abortions on overseas bases.

Adding the abortion measure further jeopardized the already threatened bill that was intended to help pay off the costs of the Persian Gulf War and to provide $150 million in disaster aid to victims of last spring’s tornadoes and Hurricanes Bob and Hugo. The measure was approved 75 to 17.

Rushing toward adjournment, lawmakers turned the bill into a politically attractive measure with amendments that added $4 billion to the cost.

“This horse isn’t going very far,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) shortly before cutting off 60 more amendments that lawmakers had intended to offer.

Byrd said he planned to knock most of the new big spending items out of the bill in talks with key House and White House officials next week.

Many of the emergency bill features, including a $1.4-billion increase in Head Start and other children’s programs added by the House, have prompted veto threats from the White House.