Senate kills anti-terror package

12/08/2001

By ALAN FRAM
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — The Senate killed the Democrats' $35 billion anti-terrorism package Friday as Republicans handed a victory to President Bush by standing solidly against a plan the White House called too expensive.

Eager to keep their stamp on the government's response to the Sept. 11 attacks, Democrats came back hours later with a $20 billion alternative, the level Bush wanted. That package received preliminary approval from the Senate on a voice vote.

One sponsor of the smaller measure, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said it would ``at least do something'' to enhance national security. Bush had promised to veto anything exceeding that amount.

The new Democratic plan shifted about $7 billion that Bush wanted for defense to programs tightening domestic security and helping New York and the Washington area recover from the Sept. 11 destruction at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

The anti-terror money was attached to this year's $318 billion defense bill. One reason Democrats agreed to a smaller anti-terrorism package is that they were unwilling to delay indefinitely a wartime spending bill for the military.

In a bid for bipartisan support, Democrats wrote their new plan with the help of Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The events capped a day in which Bush's line in the sand over spending prevailed over a Democratic drive — in the midst of a worldwide war against terrorists — to boost spending on domestic security. Democrats accused GOP lawmakers of blocking their package to win a political fight for Bush.

``We do not seem to be able to pull together in this town for America even in this time when the people of the United States are united'' against terrorism, Byrd said.

But Republicans unanimously supported Bush's insistence on limiting federal anti-terror spending, saying Democrats were purposely forcing politically sensitive votes. And on the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, they noted that the fight was slowing work on this year's wartime defense bill, to which the terrorism package had been appended.

``We have our men and women on the ground and in the air and at sea,'' Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., told reporters. ``We should not revert back to political positioning and amendments that cause difficulty for one party.''

White House officials have promised to seek more money early next year. They have said the government has already approved enough money to cover the next few months of warfare in Afghanistan and programs to enhance security at home.

In Friday's pivotal early vote, Republicans killed the $35 billion Democratic anti-terrorism plan in a 50-50 roll call that derailed the entire defense bill. Republicans got nine votes more than the 41 they needed on the procedural motion upending the bill. Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., was the only lawmaker to cross party lines.

The new, smaller Democratic anti-terrorism plan contained:

—$8.5 billion for countering bioterrorism and other domestic security programs, $4.1 billion more than Bush;

—$9.5 billion for the New York and Washington metropolitan areas to recover from the attacks, $3.2 billion more than Bush;

—$2 billion for defense, $5.3 billion less than Bush;

—Nothing for unemployment and health insurance aid for jobless Americans, compared to Bush's $2 billion. Democrats say aid for the unemployed should be included in a separate economic stimulus bill.

Even before Friday's vote, Bush's veto threat had seemed unbeatable because Republicans had pledged to sustain it.

Three days after the attacks, Congress approved $40 billion to fight terrorists.

Bush was given control of half; lawmakers must vote anew on the details of the second $20 billion. Republicans say there was agreement to limit the spending to $40 billion, while Democrats say that was just a starting point.

The GOP-led House approved a $20 billion package last week.