Bush suffers funding setbacks

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 9

Bush suffers funding setbacks

NZPA-Reuter Washington President George Bush suffered further setbacks on defence funding when the House of Representatives voted to slash the B--2 Stealth bomber programme and forbade deployment of a mobile MX long-range nuclear missile system. The two defeats yesterday came as the House worked on a $305 billion defence authorisation bill for next year. The House a day earlier

slashed by 248-175 a SUS 4.9 billion (SNZB.4 billion) request for the “star wars” Strategic Defence Initiative programme to SUS3.I billion (SNZS.3I billion) despite a White House plea that this would delay a decision on deploying the system until the next century. The House voted 257160 to prohibit production of radar-evading Stealth bombers until the De- ’ fence Secretary, Dick Cheney, agreed to build fewer than the 132

planned and cut the programme’s SUS7O billion (SNZI2O billion) cost. The House also voted 224-197 against funds to deploy the mobile MX system on the ground that the money would be wasted if United StatesSoviet negotiators at Geneva banned such missiles. The Senate has approved most of Mr Bush’s B-2 request on condition the plane passes performance tests.

The White House said it would press a House-Sen-ate compromise conference, which will seek to harmonise the decisions of the two chambers, to overturn the House action. The White House is sure to seek Senate approval of funds to construct the MX mobile missile and then seek approval of the money in the conference that will produce the final compromise defence bill for Congressional approval.