House Votes to Cut Administration Program

[Judi Lynn]

House Votes to Cut Administration Program
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

(06-29) 00:30 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

Dealing a blow to President Bush a week before the Group of Eight economic summit in Scotland, the House voted to slash money from the assistance program considered a cornerstone of his campaign to spread democracy around the world.

Money for the program, the Millennium Challenge Account, is included in the $20.3 billion foreign aid bill the House approved on a 393-32 vote Tuesday.

Overall, the bill for next year is roughly 11 percent less than the president proposed but nearly 4 percent more than this year's funding. The Senate has yet to write its version of the bill, which provides health, education, counter-narcotics and military assistance to poor nations.

House lawmakers chose to pad several of the president's other proposals with the $1.25 billion they cut from his request for the Millennium Challenge Account, a program that gives countries extra money if they pursue political, economic and human rights reforms.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/06/29/national/w003005D30.DTL

[rodeodance]

1. Jr will have a few less carrots to hand out.