President's quest for new spending, powers hits snag on Hill

A day after a massive terrorist assault on the nation's financial and military nerve centers, President Bush was seeking broad authority to spend for rescue and recovery and undertake a potential military response. But late Wednesday night, congressional resistance prevented lawmakers from drafting the language to appropriate the emergency supplemental package to fund rescue operations or a military response.

The House Rules Committee was set to hold a late-night session to clear a rule for same-day consideration of both the so-called "war powers" resolution and the supplemental, plus the rules for both measures. Although neither measure had been written at presstime, leadership aides remained hopeful that debate could begin Thursday.

A Democratic leadership aide said the president's push for wide discretion in funding the response and broad authorization to use force provoked opposition by a number of members. "It was unduly broad--a blank check without any concept of who the enemy was," said the aide of the president's request to authorize the use of force. As for the funding package, the aide said there was "no definition as to how the money is going to be spent. You could use it for curtains for the White House, I guess."

Republicans signaled willingness to compromise after hearing such complaints and insisted the resolution was not an attempt to circumvent the War Powers Act.

"I think the president would like to see congressional support for the action that we all know the country needs to take in the next few days or months," said Chief Deputy Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. "I believe we'll be able to get that package ready and to the floor tomorrow."

Asked about how to handle opposition to granting wide presidential authority to respond, Blunt said, "I believe that we will get a broad, broad base of bipartisan support for language that everybody mutually works on."

Appropriations sources said the principals were still trying to come to agreement on an amount and process for making that amount available, but were intent on hammering out an agreement that would have bipartisan, bicameral support and be enacted by week's end.

Earlier Wednesday, House Appropriations Chairman Young told reporters that congressional appropriators and Office of Management and Budget officials had hammered out compromise language to provide the president with $20 billion in emergency supplemental funds to mount a broad response to Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the nation.

But Senate Majority Leader Daschle said soon after, "I think it's premature." Democratic sources said House Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., remained concerned about the lack of congressional oversight in the broadly worded resolution, especially given its price tag.

According to Young, the deal would make the $20 billion available, on an emergency basis until expended, to federal, state and local jurisdictions to respond immediately to the multiple disasters, increase transit security, repair public facilities and transit systems, fight international terrorism and beef up national security.

Young said the language, which would be enacted as a joint resolution of Congress rather than a bill, also called for the administration to consult with the appropriate congressional committees and report to Congress periodically about how the money is spent.

While appearing to win tremendous flexibility in how and when the money could be spent, the White House had initially requested that Congress issue an open-ended emergency appropriation.

On Wednesday morning, OMB sent language to Congress calling for an unlimited level of emergency funding, to be available until expended, "as necessary to respond to terrorist attacks." The funds could be "transferred to any authorized federal government activity to meet the requirements of such attacks."

Faced with mounting congressional opposition to a "blank check," the administration backed away from the language by midafternoon and sent OMB negotiators to talk to their counterparts at the House and Senate Appropriations committees. That meeting led Young to announce a deal.