Senate Republicans are ceding ground to the Clinton administration as the two sides struggle to craft spending legislation avoiding a third government shutdown in five months.
Senators voted 84-16 Tuesday to add $2.7 billion for education and job training to a $160 billion measure financing domestic programs for the 61/2 months remaining in fiscal 1996.Wide differences remained, however, over other administration spending priorities, including environmental protection, technology development and hiring police officers.
Senate debate was scheduled to continue Wednesday, with no time certain for its conclusion. Asked how long it would take to complete the bill, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., replied, "How old are you? What's your life expectancy?"
In the meantime, both Dole and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., said they intended to send President Clinton a separate stopgap spending bill that would keep the government operating through March 29.
White House chief of staff Leon Panetta indicated the administration would reluctantly go along with the stopgap bill but warned that "government by CR (continuing resolution)" must stop.
"Let's just say Easter is our deadline to try to get this all wrapped up," he said.
Clinton signed separate legislation Tuesday extending the government's borrowing authority through March 29. GOP lawmakers are preparing a long-term increase in the debt ceiling and are contemplating attaching legislation to wring savings from welfare and Medicaid spending.
On the spending bill, the Senate so far has provided about half the $8 billion in additional domestic money sought by the administration. A House version of the bill, adopted last week, is far less generous.