House OKs Defense Spending, A-Lab Revamp

The House approved a bill Wednesday that would increase spending for the military--and raise military pay--and revamp the nation’s nuclear weapon programs.

The legislation, which passed, 375 to 45, would increase military spending by $18 billion over this year’s outlays and calls for a reorganization of the Energy Department to create a largely independent nuclear weapon agency within the department.

The $289-billion military spending bill already had been approved by House-Senate negotiators and is expected to get final approval in the Senate, probably next week.

But the Energy Department provision had some Democrats concerned and has prompted a possible veto by President Clinton.

The reorganization has wide support in Congress after months of controversy over allegations of lax security and Chinese espionage involving the nuclear weapon labs and the mishandling of a spy investigation at the Los Alamos lab dating back to 1996.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said in an interview that he “most likely” would recommend a veto of the defense bill because it puts too much power into the hands of the new agency.

The legislation would provide $8.3 billion more for the military in fiscal 2000 than was sought by Clinton.

It includes a 4.8% military pay raise; more money for military barracks and family housing; and increased spending for readiness, maintenance and military hardware.