House OKs Defense-Cutting Budget With Two Options : Spending: One alternative would shift military savings to social programs if possible. The other would use the funds to reduce the deficit.

The House on Thursday narrowly approved an unusual two-option budget plan for 1993 that includes proposals to double the defense spending cuts proposed by President Bush and to funnel as much as $12 billion into domestic programs next year.

In separate votes, the House first approved “Plan A” on a 215-201 roll call. The $1.5-trillion measure proposes that most of the savings from huge defense spending cuts be diverted to social programs, but only if the House agrees next week to modify the 1990 budget agreement that prevents such a shift.

If the House refuses to change the budget agreement--or if President Bush successfully vetoes the attempt--the budget contains a “Plan B” that would earmark the proposed defense savings for deficit reduction.

That plan, considered less controversial, was approved by a vote of 224 to 191.

Although votes could be changed before next week’s showdown on revising the 1990 budget deal, the roll call on Plan A indicates that the revision is likely to be approved by a similar margin.

The budget resolution now will be sent to the Senate, where a separate blueprint will be approved and reconciled with the House version. The resulting plan will provide Congress with its spending priorities this year. Bush cannot veto budget resolutions.

Under Plan A and Plan B, however, the defense budget would be reduced by $15 billion in future years and $10 billion during the fiscal year that begins in October. Both Democratic plans would authorize $287.2 billion for the Pentagon.

Bush proposed to trim military spending by about half as much, to $292.2 billion in the coming fiscal year. His budget, however, was rejected by an overwhelming, 370-42 vote Wednesday, with only one of every four House Republicans supporting his proposal.

The House also rejected, 342 to 77, an alternative budget supported by the Congressional Black Caucus and the newly formed Progressive Caucus that would have cut defense outlays by $49.4 billion in the next fiscal year, with the money used to expand social programs.

The Democrat’s two-plan proposal, which drew only a handful of Republican votes, was attacked by Rep. Bill Gradison (R-Ohio), ranking GOP member of the House Budget Committee, because it refused to recommend a single spending plan.

“This two-headed hydra lets Democrats have it both ways,” Gradison complained.

House Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), wrapping up the daylong debate, disagreed.

“The President’s budget was voted down by more than 100 members of his own party,” Gephardt said. “This is a different budget because these are extraordinary times. This budget says we buried communism and we must not cling to Cold War weapons systems.”

The battle over the budget was the latest election-year clash over spending priorities in the midst of a weak economy and a world without a military threat from Moscow.

The proposed defense cuts were the most controversial aspect of the Democratic budget. Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told the House that the reductions could be made without deep additional cuts in military personnel.

Aspin rejected Defense Secretary Dick Cheney’s contention that the proposed cut of $15 billion would require a reduction of 300,000 in personnel, saying that spending could be trimmed elsewhere in the $287-billion Pentagon budget.

Under the House-approved blueprint, $1 billion would be used to smooth the transition to lower defense spending by retraining defense workers and aiding communities affected by the shutdown of military bases.

Comparing the Budget Plans

The House spending plan is actually two budgets in one: Plan A if defense funds are shifted to domestic programs; Plan B if they are not. The plans are compared here to what Bush proposed in January.

Plan A Plan B Bush Total spending $1.505 trillion $1.498 trillion $1.503 trillion Revenues $1.173 trillion $1.173 trillion $1.171 trillion Deficits $331.3 billion $324.5 billion $352 billion Defense $287.2 billion $287.2 billion $292.2 billion Foreign aid $17.4 billion $17.4 billion $17 billion Science and space $16.6 billion $16.2 billion $17 billion Natural resources and environment $21 billion $20.6 billion $20.9 billion Agriculture $16.1 billion $16 billion $15.8 billion Transportation $36.1 billion $35.4 billion $35.2 billion Education and job training $50.6 billion $49.6 billion $49.4 billion Health $105 billion $104.5 billion $103.7 billion Pensions, food stamps, income security* $197.2 billion $196.7 billion $195 billion

*Income security includes aid such as welfare payments and jobless benefits.

Source: Times wire reports