IP: NSF - from whats new

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

HOUSE REJECTS VA/HUD/IA CONFERENCE REPORT IN A STUNNING UPSET. 
The President had vowed to veto the VA/HUD/IA appropriation, but
it didn't even get out of Congress.  The House voted to send it
back to conference with instructions to restore veterans' medical
care to the House level, but David Obey (D-WI), who introduced
the motion, said a lot of members would have voted for any motion
to recommit because "it's a lousy bill."  Hopes that a deal could
be struck to shift money to VA/HUD/IA from Defense were dashed
last night when the President agreed to sign the Defense spending
bill to support his Bosnia plan. So the $213M needed for veterans
health must come from elsewhere in VA/HUD/IA, but there are also
demands for increases in housing, EPA, and National Service.  And
the space station is exempted from any cuts.  That leaves NSF and
space science as the only programs nobody is speaking up for.