House Imperils Budget Bill, Votes to Kill AmeriCorps

Injecting partisanship into a carefully crafted budget compromise, the House voted Wednesday to wipe out funding for AmeriCorps, President Clinton’s national service program.

The unexpected move by House Republicans increased the likelihood that Clinton will veto the 1997 funding measure for environmental enforcement, federal housing, veterans affairs, space exploration and an assortment of other programs.

By late Wednesday night House members still had not voted on the entire funding bill.

The voice vote to end funding for the $367-million AmeriCorps, one of Clinton’s signature initiatives, came despite pleas from some Republicans not to endanger the compromise spending bill.

A similar move last year to eliminate the inner-city volunteer program drew a presidential veto and funding for the program was restored only after a protracted political battle.

“I don’t believe that the leadership wants to have last year’s fight all over again,” said Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands), the Appropriations subcommittee chairman who led the floor debate for the bill.

Among those disagreeing with Lewis was freshman Rep. Jon Christensen (R-Neb.).

“I don’t believe we have a dime to spare for a feel-good program,” he said.

The program survived one vote Wednesday before it fell victim to a legislative maneuver by conservative Republicans.

Freshman Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) sponsored an amendment to give $40 million of the AmeriCorps money to veterans’ programs and assign the remainder to deficit reduction.

Rather than risk losing a recorded vote to the more popular veterans’ proposal, AmeriCorps supporters quietly accepted the Tiahrt amendment. They plan to fight to restore funding for the program when a final bill is negotiated with the Senate.

“We are heartened by the first bipartisan vote in support of the service,” said AmeriCorps spokesman J. Toscano. “We are disappointed that a small group engaged in a tactical ploy to turn back the stated support of the full House.”

Despite efforts by House Republicans to make the $84-billion budget bill more acceptable to Clinton and his Democratic allies, the White House already was expressing its displeasure because the bill cuts about $3 billion from its funding request.

The House bill would reduce spending for Environmental Protection Agency pollution control efforts, a satellite program to observe the Earth’s environment and housing grants and subsidies for the homeless and low-income families. In addition, the $367 million originally set aside for AmeriCorps by Republican appropriators was far short of the administration’s request for $546 million.

Lewis engineered other compromises in an effort to achieve bipartisan support for the bill, which funds programs administered by 20 federal agencies.

In a series of floor amendments, Lewis managed to restore $300 million to HUD’s $4.6-billion Community Development Block Grant program, which goes to local governments for housing and urban projects.

The Republican-led House also retained current funding for the EPA and approved more money than the president requested for veterans’ medical care.

Responding to criticism from environmentalists, the Republicans also reinstated the EPA’s request for $1.5 million to expand the Toxics Release Program, which requires industries to notify communities of any toxic substances released in their areas.

However, Democrats criticized a Republican move to prohibit the expenditure of $861 million in the toxic waste cleanup account until the Superfund Act is restructured.

Democrats and some moderate Republicans waged unsuccessful fights to shift money from the $2.1 billion budgeted for the international space station to housing assistance for low-income families, the homeless and persons with AIDS.

The House approved an amendment by Rep. Rick A. Lazio (R-N.Y.) to take $140 million from the rent subsidies program for low-income families and apply it to new housing for the elderly and disabled.

After a bipartisan “pork-busters coalition” threatened to challenge $11 million earmarked for economic development projects in the districts of some House Appropriations Committee members, the House agreed to return the money to the Housing and Urban Development Department.

The largest funding increase in the bill--$444 million--went to veterans’ medical care, bringing that budget to $17 billion.