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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Negotiations On Funding Bill Slow To Crawl

Associated Press

White House and congressional bargainers wearily sought a handshake agreement Friday on a big bill that would fund dozens of agencies when the new fiscal year begins Tuesday.

But disputes over explosives, managed health care, guns and other issues remained to be resolved before lawmakers could adjourn and return home to campaign for re-election.

Negotiations ground on into the night. Tired bargainers had resumed at midmorning Friday with only a few hours’ sleep after carrying the previous day’s talks until just a few hours before dawn.

“We have not got a final agreement but we are in the position to start the final bargaining,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, R-La., said as negotiators broke for dinner.

The senior Democrat on Livingston’s panel, Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, was more pessimistic.

“We are no closer together than we were at the beginning of the day,” he said. “There are literally dozens of sticking points … and we’re running out of time.”

Congress has sent President Clinton seven of the 13 spending bills required to finance government operations in fiscal 1997. Negotiators are wrapping the remaining six bills - totaling roughly $200 billion in domestic spending and $245 billion for the military - into one huge, must-pass package.