HOUSE COMMITTEE SLASHES "STAR WARS" FUNDING
The House Armed Services Committee
slashed President Reagan's funding request for the Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI), approving 1.7 billion dlrs less than
he had proposed for the anti-missile program.
    The committee, during its consideration of the 1988 defense
authorization bill, also cut by more than half Reagan's request
for a rail system for strategic missiles.
    The proposals must be adopted by the full House and Senate
before becoming law.
    The committee approved 3.5 billion dlrs for SDI, a land-
and space-based anti-missile defense program commonly known as
"Star Wars." The amount was 1.7 billion dlrs less than the
administration request of 5.2 billion dlrs.
    The Reagan administration has requested a total of 312
billion dlrs for defense in 1988, but congressional leaders
have said that will be cut as part of a budget-trimming effort
to reduce the huge federal deficit.
    In other action today, the committee approved 250 mln dlrs
for a rail system for inter-continental ballistic missiles, but
did not specify which missile system. Supporters have said
missiles on such a rail network would be less vulernable to
attack than those in fixed underground silos.
    The administration requested 590 mln dlrs specifically for
a rail-mobile system for the 10-warhead MX missile. But many
congressmen, including House Armed Services Chairman Les Aspin,
a Wisconsin Democrat, favor a smaller mobile missile dubbed the
"Midgetman."
 Reuter
