American Notes

The power of the purse is Congress's most effective weapon, and the House last week wielded it like a double-bladed sword. Although the House approved George Bush's request for $291 billion in total military spending next year, its version of the 1992 defense-spending bill axed the President's pet B-2 Stealth bomber program and drastically cut funding for his Strategic Defense Initiative antiballistic-missile project.

The Administration had requested four new B-2s as part of its goal of acquiring 75 of the bombers by the end of the century; the House action would halt production at the 15 aircraft previously authorized. In cutting Star Wars spending to $3.5 billion from the Administration's requested $5.2 billion, the House freed money for more conventional weapons. The measure also authorized servicewomen to have abortions in military clinics, at their own expense, and cleared female pilots to fly combat missions at the discretion of their services. All these issues are likely to be decided differently when the Senate produces its bill, but Bush and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney have both warned of a presidential veto if the House version prevails.