Gop, Clinton Rekindle Battle Over The Budget

President Clinton and Republicans on Capitol Hill were barreling toward another bitter confrontation over the budget, even as Congress began struggling to move legislation designed to avert another government shutdown next week.

The House, in a cliffhanging vote of 209-206, approved a bill Thursday to keep nine Cabinet departments operating after their budgets expire March 15. The White House has already threatened to veto the omnibus measure because it does not provide more money for its pet programs such as national service, education and environmental protection.

But the close House vote made plain how hard it will be to draft a compromise acceptable both to the administration and to the fragile GOP majority in the House. Crossing party lines to oppose the bill were 21 Republican defectors, including many moderates who thought the bill cut too much from social programs as well as conservatives who thought it cut too little.

Especially controversial among conservatives were provisions intended as an olive branch to Clinton - $3.3 billion for top administration priorities. While that was too much for some conservatives, it was not enough for the administration, which also objected because the money would not be available unless Clinton agreed to a broader deficit reduction deal of the sort that has eluded the White House and Congress for months.

“There is no doubt that we’re once again racing toward a confrontation that will shut government down in a way that we were told would not happen again,” warned Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

In other action Thursday, however, Republicans moved to avoid clashing on another budget front, when the House and Senate easily passed legislation to increase the federal debt limit. The increase extends the government’s borrowing authority until March 29. The measure is needed to avoid a government default because the Treasury estimates it will otherwise run out of borrowing authority March 21.

The latest budget maneuvering provides a window into just how much the balance of power has shifted since last year, when Republicans freely dispensed threats to shut down the government and throw it into default to get their way.

Now they are doing what was once unthinkable - passing a debt-ceiling increase with no strings attached. And in the omnibus spending bill, they are trying lure Clinton - not bully him - into accepting a budget agreement by offering additional funding for social programs.

The budget fight between Congress and the White House has receded from the public eye ever since negotiations over a plan to balance the budget collapsed in January. The issue has resurfaced because Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling and extend spending authority for federal agencies whose regular 1996 appropriations have not been approved. Those agencies are now operating under a short-term measure that expires March 15.

In recent negotiations with the GOP, Clinton aides have insisted on $8 billion more for domestic programs. The bill would have provided another $3.3 billion for education, environmental protection and other programs favored by Clinton - but only if the administration agreed to savings in other areas to offset the costs.

That contingency was not enough to satisfy conservative Republicans, who demanded more exacting conditions in exchange for funding Clinton’s priorities.

Rep. Robert Walker, R-Pa., won approval of an amendment that makes release of the $3.3 billion contingent on Clinton reaching a broader budget agreement.