The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a foreign aid bill, including the Administration’s request for $324,5 million in aid to Israel, after voting to restore the full $100 million special fund to be used for Syria in the event of a new agreement with Israel. The Senate committee also restored a $366 million out from the total program by the House of Representatives which approved a foreign aid bill on March 13. The out did not affect aid to Israel.
The committee’s foreign operations subcommittee, had recommended $25 million for the program for Syria, a recommendation the full committee rejected. Many Senators said such a cut might be misinterpreted as lack of support for Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s current Middle East mission.
The bill also provides $300 million in military aid for Israel, of which $200 million is in credits. The committee also cut $15 million from the $40 million approved by the House to help Soviet Jewish refugees settle in Israel. Included in the measure is $250 million in economic aid for Egypt and $77 million for Jordan. The full Senate was scheduled to take up the committee bill late today.
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