$1.1-Billion Aid Bill for Cities Signed by Bush

President Bush on Monday signed a $1.1-billion urban aid bill forged in the wake of the Los Angeles riots, but the White House could not obscure a mounting confrontation with Congress that threatens its election-year agenda.

Even as they convened a Rose Garden ceremony to draw attention to the modest accord, White House officials acknowledged that final action on Bush’s more ambitious urban proposals almost certainly would be delayed until after next month’s Democratic convention.

In one sign of progress, Administration and House leaders appeared to have reached agreement on a second-round package that would provide $5 billion over five years for urban enterprise zones and more traditional job-training and social-welfare programs.

But amid other frustrations, the White House also voiced its pique at maneuvering by fellow Republicans that threatens to delay passage of the Russian aid package that Bush has called his top priority. And in a sign of an impending return to business as usual, senior Bush aides were preparing a series of vetoes to turn back legislation that would extend jobless benefits, voter registration and fetal tissue research.

The compromise measure signed by Bush provides $500 million for more than 400,000 summer jobs for American youths this year. About $16.4 million of that total is destined for Los Angeles, enough to provide for an estimated 13,500 jobs.

The bill also provides $495 million to replenish federal emergency-assistance accounts drained as the Administration sought to respond to the riots and to an earlier flood in downtown Chicago. An additional $170 million is designated to fuel new loans by the Small Business Administration to businesses in the two cities.

After being delayed by a monthlong stalemate, the signing was the product of a rare congruity between a White House and Congress determined to be seen as active in addressing urban problems. That the White House went to unusual lengths to highlight the success, however, reflected its recognition that such occasions are likely to become increasingly rare.

“The longer it waits, the more political turmoil it gets caught up in,” White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said, as he expressed concern about the fate of the broader urban-aid package.

To underscore the fact that a Bush proposal had secured a tangible result, the White House scrambled at the last minute to organize the high-profile Rose Garden ceremony.

But the short-notice event had the awkward air of an occasion convened less for purpose than show. Only Republican lawmakers showed up and a late-arriving group of youths did not arrive until after Bush had thanked them for coming.