White House Wants Delay on Water Bill

WASHINGTON — The White House wants the Senate to delay action on the clean water bill to spare President Reagan the prospect of vetoing the popular legislation just before his annual visit to the Capitol, congressional sources said today.

“The White House doesn’t want the veto before the State of the Union,” said a Republican leadership source, referring to the President’s annual speech to a joint session of Congress. The speech is scheduled for Jan. 27.

“There’s no reason to make the President look bad before the speech,” the source said. Other sources, both Democratic and Republican, confirmed the move to slow down the legislation.

The $20-billion bill is identical to one vetoed as a budget-buster by Reagan last Nov. 6, two days after the elections and after Congress had left town and was unable to take override votes.

Senate Democratic leaders had hoped to begin debate on the measure today and take a final vote as early as Tuesday. To move this quickly, however, they needed unanimous consent.

But Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) said at midday that the bill would not be taken up before Tuesday because of the absence of Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.).