For two years, Jean-Marc Brûlé, a Green Party leader and mayor of Cesson, near Paris, has shepherded through budget amendments to finance dirigible research.
In both countries, individual members of Parliament are not allowed to introduce finance bills; the national budget is prepared by the cabinet and prime minister, and they must approve any parliamentary amendments to finance bills.
But he said he expected a mix of Democrats and Republicans to join together to pass an amendment to keep financing the engine.
Today, Mr. Waxman's amendment to a bill to finance the operations of the Commerce, Justice and State departments removed a provision that would have barred the Justice Department from receiving any money from any agency to help in the suit.
Today's action in the Senate and the similar action last week in the House came on amendments to a bill to finance the operations of the Department of Agriculture.
The government has been battling unsuccessfully to persuade Tory MPs not to back Loughton's amendment to the finance bill, which would come into force in the 2014-15 finance year if it were passed.
Senator Boxer had campaigned for the Boland amendment, which made it illegal to finance the contras.
The Senate's 80-to-15 80-to-15 80-to-15 legislation -- cast as an amendment to a $19.3 billion bill to finance the Interior Department in 2003 -- was a clear defeat for Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the measure's sponsor, and his fellow Democrat, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman.
