Senate OKs Foreign Aid Bill, Arms Pact : Congress: Lawmakers also uphold Bush’s veto of China trade measure. Tax, anti-crime and energy legislation remains in limbo.

The Senate approved a $26.4-billion foreign aid bill Thursday that includes $10 billion in loan guarantees for Israel and $417 million in aid to the countries that make up the former Soviet Union.

The measure passed, 87 to 12, on a day when senators also ratified the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The foreign aid bill now goes to a joint conference committee to iron out differences between the House and Senate versions.

The proposed loan guarantees for Israel sparked a major confrontation earlier this year when the Bush Administration opposed them to pressure Israel to halt settlements on the West Bank and to take part in Middle East peace talks.

The Administration changed its mind early this fall, however, after Israel’s new government, headed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, agreed to reduce West Bank settlements drastically and to make serious new peace proposals in discussions with Arab negotiators.

The loan money will be used to help finance the resettlement of Russian immigrants to Israel. Although Israel has halted plans for future building in the West Bank, it is continuing projects that already are under construction.

The aid bill faces a possible presidential veto over a provision that the White House contends allows private organizations in the Third World to use U.S. foreign aid money to promote or endorse the practice of abortion.

The START treaty, approved on a vote of 93 to 6, took nine years to negotiate with the Soviet Union. It is the first arms-reduction accord involving long-range nuclear missiles to be passed by the Senate in 20 years.

The treaty slashes the number of warheads for both sides, limits land- and submarine-based missiles and sets up detailed verification machinery to help prevent cheating.

Russia and the three other major republics of the former Soviet Union have all agreed to abide by the pact.

Senators also upheld President Bush’s veto of a bill that would have withheld trade benefits from China until the Beijing government improves its human rights record. The vote in favor of overriding the veto was 59 to 40, well short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

The actions came as Congress plodded steadily toward its scheduled adjournment amid growing pressure from lawmakers who want to end this year’s session on Monday and go home to try to assuage an angry electorate.

There were signs, however, that some important measures--including a tax bill, an anti-crime bill and the most sweeping energy bill in more than a decade--might become snared in procedural snags and be dropped during the rush to adjourn.

The Senate is scheduled to vote today on whether to cut off a Republican filibuster that has held up consideration of the anti-crime bill, which includes provisions aimed at making it harder for criminals to purchase handguns. A “no” vote today could kill the bill.

Several senators served notice that they plan to mount a filibuster designed to hold up the energy bill, which, among other things, could pave the way for construction of a nuclear waste dumping site in Nevada over the objections of local residents.

The Senate is also expected to consider whether to force votes on two other key pieces of legislation--aid for neighborhood schools and a bill to finance research by the National Institutes of Health. Both have been held up by filibusters.

On other legislation, a House-Senate conference committee began work on a compromise version of the tax bill, which Bush has threatened to veto because the Senate version includes extensions of some 1986 tax increases.

Also Thursday, the President signed into law a “continuing resolution” intended to keep the government running for another five days until Congress completes work on the rest of its annual appropriations bills. The measure authorizes new spending at last year’s levels.

The House on Thursday approved money measures providing funds for the operation of the State, Justice, Commerce, Treasury and Transportation departments, the U.S. Postal Service and the legislative branch. The Senate began work on similar legislation.

Both houses have scheduled weekend sessions in hopes of making the Monday target for adjournment. Congress usually adjourns in late autumn, but lawmakers want to leave early to return to their districts to combat the anti-incumbent sentiment expressed by many voters.

It is not clear whether holding up the energy bill would necessarily mean the death of the legislation. Some lawmakers said that House and Senate leaders may postpone the departure date and keep Congress in session until it is passed.

Meanwhile, a House-Senate conference committee approved a $274.3-billion defense authorization bill that calls for trimming a modest $7 billion from the military budget that Bush requested last January, giving the President essentially what he asked.

The legislation would authorize production of four more of the controversial B-2 Stealth bombers made by California-based Northrop Corp.--for a total of 20 operational aircraft--but would withhold two-thirds of the money until the aircraft passes Pentagon tests.

The measure also would authorize $1.5 billion for so-called “defense conversion assistance,” designed to help manufacturers, local communities and individuals make the transition to the smaller defense Establishment that is expected in the post-Cold War era.

And it would provide $4.05 billion for the controversial Strategic Defense Initiative, known informally as “Star Wars,” slashing funds for the controversial spaced-based interceptor, or “Brilliant Pebbles,” program. Bush had sought $5.4 billion.

Key Moves by Congress

Here are highlights of developments in Congress on Thursday: Defense bill: House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on a $274.3-billion Pentagon spending bill for the coming year that cuts $1 billion from President Bush’s request for the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Energy bill: A sweeping bill that boosts nuclear power, calls for more efficient lights and makes the electricity industry more competitive may face a filibuster.

Arms treaty: By a 93-6 vote, the Senate ratified the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which sets a seven-year timetable for reduction of the nuclear arsenals of the United States and four former Soviet republics.

Abortion rule: The Senate, by a 73-26 margin, voted to override President Bush’s veto of a bill striking down his limits on abortion counseling at federally financed clinics. The action sends the debate over the abortion rule back to the House.

Congressional budget: The Senate voted to slash the money Congress spends on itself by 15% over the next three years. Lawmakers said it was time that they set the example in tight budget times. The bill passed on an 85-13 vote.

Source: Times wire services