DoD supplemental bill expected to pass in house

Democratic and Republican leaders in the House said Wednesday they expected the $13 billion fiscal 1999 defense supplemental spending bill would pass, despite concerns among members of both parties about the bill.

The bill would fund military and humanitarian operations in the Balkans as well as general defense readiness needs.

Democrats have argued readiness expenses should be deferred until FY2000 rather than included in an emergency spending bill that is not paid for.

GOP fiscal conservatives, meanwhile, want the supplemental offset because the surplus FY99 funds needed to cover its cost must come out of the Social Security trust fund. But while many in the GOP Conference-as well as the Democratic Caucus-are unhappy about voting for the supplemental on policy grounds, the measure is likely to pass in spite of itself.

For Republicans, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., set the tone at Wednesday's GOP Conference meeting by telling his members that, having expressed their opposition to the administration's Balkans policy, their responsibility now is to support the troops by providing them with the money needed to carry out their mission.

On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., said after their caucus meeting that, despite "continuing concerns" about "unjustified expenditures unrelated to Kosovo" in the $13 billion package, enough Democrats will vote for the measure to ensure its passage, even if the Democratic alternative goes down. Gephardt predicted that, "In the end, there will be adequate support" from Democrats to pass the supplemental.

Also today, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., indicated Senate Democrats' reluctant willingness to support the measure. Daschle told reporters, "My guess is that we will probably support it. I think the word is urgency."