The House Armed Services Committeeslashed 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
