More National/World

• Congressman is indicted
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

WASHINGTON — The House is expected to vote today on a stopgap spending bill that would stave off any major job cuts at New Mexico's two nuclear weapons laboratories for at least six weeks.

The continuing resolution would fund operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories at current levels from the start of the federal fiscal year, Oct. 1, through Nov. 16.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on the same measure by the end of the week.

New Mexico's two U.S. senators hailed the bill, which at least postpones a day of budget reckoning. The measure is necessary because Congress has not finished work on its 12 spending bills; the resolution would give Congress time to work out a compromise on spending with President Bush.

"We have averted a worst-case scenario at Los Alamos and Sandia laboratories for the next six weeks," said Sen. Pete Domenici, an Albuquerque Republican.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Silver City Democrat, added, "This is as good as we could have hoped for in the near term. It maintains the status quo while we fight to ensure that our labs are funded as close as possible to President Bush's budget request."

But Rep. Tom Udall, a Santa Fe Democrat who represents Los Alamos, warned that the lab cannot continue to perform the same missions and expect the same budgets forever.

"Some want to pursue the status quo and remain focused only on the areas at which the lab currently excels. I believe this would be a grave mistake," Udall said. "It is time to recognize the inevitable changes that are already affecting all of our national laboratories."

Earlier this year, the House made large cuts to the labs, especially Los Alamos. The Senate Appropriations Committee restored the funds.

The Department of Energy prepared to lay off hundreds of workers in anticipation that the continuing resolution might use the House budget numbers. In some past years, the stopgap funding bills have followed the lower number in the House and Senate bills.

Bingaman said funding at current levels is actually higher than in either the pending House or Senate bills.