White House may accept super-size supplemental

As the only legislative train on the fast track to the White House, the fiscal 1999 emergency supplemental has grown from a $1 billion disaster aid package for Central American hurricane victims to a $13 billion vehicle to fund U.S. military and humanitarian operations in Kosovo, give the military a pay raise and better benefits, replenish stocks of munitions and spare parts, repair military bases overseas and beef up embassy security-as well as aid economically strapped farmers and provide assistance to Jordan.

On Friday, President Clinton Friday appeared to indicate he is willing to accept more add-ons to his Kosovo supplemental request than White House officials previously have claimed.

"I'd like to see the bill loaded up with as little extraneous spending as possible," Clinton said, amending previous White House demands that no new funds be tacked on.

And the president did not rule in or out a military pay raise as part of the supplemental. Saying "we just have to work out the best way to do this," Clinton argued whether the pay raise was approved as part of the emergency spending bill or in the normal appropriations process, it would be implemented at the same time.

Also on Friday, Senate Democrats made their second bid in as many days to further expand the supplemental bill, appealing to Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, for $996 million in emergency funding for school violence and safety programs such as Safe and Drug Free Schools, COPS in Schools and various counseling and mentoring initiatives.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., Thursday had urged GOP leaders to hike the bill's funding for loans to farmers to $4.3 billion. Although Daschle said Senate Democrats hope to include that additional money in the conference report, they will not filibuster the supplemental if that effort fails.

As the bill goes to conference, environmental groups are working to prevent conferees from adding what they see as anti- environmental riders that are included in the Senate version. Senators added several riders during floor debate on the supplemental for disaster relief, while the House bill emerged without riders.

But while the House Appropriations panel maintains it wants to keep the final spending bill "clean," sources said that will be difficult because a few of the senators who championed the provisions on the floor also serve on the conference committee. Senate Budget Chairman Domenici and Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., added two amendments to help the oil industry as it seeks to rebound from the lowest crude oil prices in decades. The Senate bill also includes an amendment that would delay a change in the way oil from offshore drilling is valued.