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Washington in brief

House approves benefit reductions, sends budget to Bush

WASHINGTON - The House on Wednesday narrowly approved Congress' first attempt in eight years to slow the growth of benefit programs like Medicaid and student loan subsidies, sending the measure to President Bush.

The bill passed by a vote of 216-214, largely along party lines. Republicans hailed the five-year, $39-billion budget-cutting bill as an important first step to restoring discipline on spending. Democrats attacked the measure as an assault on college students and Medicaid patients and said powerful Washington lobbyists had too much influence on it.

President Bush said he looked forward to signing the bill into law.

"The House today passed a significant spending reduction package that will curb the growth of entitlement spending for the first time in years and help us stay on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009," Bush said.

The measure blends modest cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and student loan subsidies with a renewal of the 1996 welfare reform bill and $10-billion in new revenues from auctioning television airwaves to wireless companies. There's also $1-billion in new spending to extend an income subsidy program for dairy farmers and a reprieve for physicians who had faced a 4 percent cut in Medicare fees.

The $39-billion in cuts are generally small - a 0.4 percent cut in Medicaid funding and 0.3 percent cut in Medicare over five years - compared with deficits expected to total $1.3-trillion or more through 2010. Still, the bill set off a brawl between Democrats and Republicans and whipped up opposition from interest groups like AARP.

The House on Wednesday agreed to extend the USA Patriot Act for a month while conservative Republicans and the White House work out changes intended to protect people from government intrusion.

The GOP-controlled House used a voice vote to keep the law in effect until March 10 so negotiators have more time to come up with a deal. The Senate was expected to follow before the law expires on Friday.

Just before leaving for Christmas, Congress extended the law until Feb. 3. Senate Democrats and four libertarian-leaning Republicans had blocked a final vote on a measure negotiated by the White House that would have made permanent most expiring provisions. The Republicans were concerned about excessive police powers.

It would be the second time Congress has extended the law. Originally passed five weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Patriot Act was due to expire Dec. 31.

The House took a mostly symbolic step toward removing the taint of influence-peddling scandals, voting to ban former colleagues from lobbying in the House chamber.

Democrats, seeking to tie majority Republicans to political corruption in an election-year, clamored for more moves. A rules change that passed 379-50 bars from the House floor or the members' gym ex-representatives who now work as lobbyists. The restriction also applies to former members' spouses who are lobbyists.

[Last modified February 2, 2006, 02:15:36]