House OKs huge social spending bill, both parties claim win

WASHINGTON - The House voted narrow approval Wednesday for the biggest and most hotly contested spending bill of the year, a $339.4 billion measure for education, health and labor programs that left each party claiming victory.

Despite a veto threat by President Clinton, Republicans rammed the huge fiscal 2001 measure through the House by a near party-line 217-214 vote. It was the first time since 1997 that the full House had approved the always controversial bill, and it came only after days of lobbying by GOP leaders on their rank and file.

Though the bill would boost spending for the Education Department and many other programs above this year's levels, it assures an election-year clash with the White House because it would cut many Clinton proposals.

It ignores his plans for hiring teachers and rebuilding crumbling schools and cuts the president's proposals for child care and job training for teen-agers. It would also block his effort to complete federal rules aimed at preventing workplace injuries.

''There has to be some responsibility in these things,'' Rep. J.C. Watts, the No. 4 House GOP leader, said after the vote. ''You can't just add 20, 30 percent to these bills as they would do ... and not worry about how you pay for it.''

In a written statement, Clinton renewed his promise to veto the bill, which contains nearly $9 billion less than he wants. The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a version of the measure that is $4 billion higher than the House bill.

''A bill that fails to provide key resources for education, child care, worker training and other priorities is unacceptable,'' Clinton said.

The fist-pumping and applause from members of both parties after the bill's passage underlined the vote's political stakes.

GOP leaders want to quickly finish Congress' 13 annual spending bills to allow more time for re-election campaigns. They could have ill-afforded an embarrassing defeat of the bill that provides federal aid for schools.

Democrats said that because of the bill's cuts in Clinton proposals, they will use the vote against Republicans from marginal districts who supported the legislation.

''It's the linchpin to our taking the House back'' in the November elections, said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., who oversees House Democrats' campaign efforts. ''In my view it sets up every debate we have with Republicans over where our priorities should be.''

The bill was one of three the House worked on Wednesday that face Clinton veto threats.

The House also debated a $14.6 billion measure financing the Interior Department and federal cultural programs.

The White House has threatened to veto that measure because it would slash Clinton's plans for acquiring federal and state parkland and bar the government from managing the eight new national monuments that Clinton has designated this year.

By 214-211, the House voted to cut about half the budget - nearly $127 million - of a Clinton program that subsidizes fuel efficiency research by auto companies and others. The vote pitted the White House and auto industry against fiscal conservatives and environmental groups, who argued that the program focuses too much on polluting diesel engines.

Earlier Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee used a voice vote to approve a third bill facing a veto threat, a $35.5 billion measure for the Commerce, Justice and State departments.

Clinton's objections to that bill include its failure to provide $150 million he requested to help state and local communities hire 1,000 prosecutors to handle cases involving gun-related crimes. The committee rejected, 31-18, a Democratic effort to include the money.

Clinton said the bill ''absolutely guts our administration's proposal for the largest gun enforcement initiative in history.''

Republicans said the bill did provide Clinton's full $14.5 million request for hiring more U.S. attorneys and had millions of dollars in other programs that can be used to combat gun crimes.

''It's unfortunately a political spin that's coming out of the White House,'' said Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., the bill's chief author.

Democrats lost a parade of near party-line votes aimed at changing other items Clinton objects to. They included:

-A provision that would make it harder for the Justice Department to pursue the government's multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the tobacco industry by blocking it from accepting money from other agencies to help pay for the lawsuit.

-A $241 million cut in the $739 million Clinton requested for U.S. payments for international peacekeeping operations. Included was a requirement for lawmakers' approval for peacekeeping efforts in Sierra Leone and Congo.

-A $199 million reduction in the $340 million Clinton wants for the Legal Services Corp., which provides legal help for the poor.