The House, by a 323-109 vote, Wednesday defeated an effort by Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., to eliminate funding for the space station in the VA-HUD appropriations bill.
In an interview after the vote, Roemer said the issue of funding the space station will keep coming back as cost overruns continue to mount and Russian participation is jeopardized by their economic problems.
Space station supporters "will have to address the problem of a partner who has to accept a $22 billion IMF bailout package," Roemer said. "We may lose five or ten votes every year, but the facts [against funding the space station] keep piling up in our favor."
Later Wednesday, the House voted 259-164 to pass the VA-HUD spending bill.
Meanwhile, President Clinton today will assail Republicans for not enacting his proposals related to climate change and will criticize VA-HUD appropriations bill language barring initiatives that could be perceived as implementing the Kyoto protocol, initiatives that make "common sense, regardless of Kyoto," a White House official said.
At an appearance with Vice President Gore in North Carolina, Clinton will push for funding of his clean water and land-water conservation initiatives.
And Clinton will criticize a series of what he considers "anti-environmental" riders that the GOP has attached to the Interior bill.
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