Nevadans support deadline for Mexico over drug efforts

      WASHINGTON -- The House voted last week its unhappiness with Mexico's efforts to combat drug trafficking.
      Lawmakers voted 251-175 for a bill that would cut off U.S. aid to the country unless Mexico allows more armed U.S. law enforcers across the border, improves air security and extradites suspects sought by the United States, all within 90 days.
      The vote margin was not large enough to override a threatened veto by President Clinton, who has said he believes the neighboring country is making satisfactory efforts to combat the drug trade.
      Critics pointed to lapses in Mexico's drug enforcement and cooperation with the United States, and examples of corruption they say are widespread in that nation.
      Others, however, said Mexico is not entirely to blame for losses in the war on drugs, and a cutoff of aid would ruin its economy and chances of any teamwork on drug enforcement.
      Reps. John Ensign and Jim Gibbons, both R-Nev., voted for the bill.
     Budget skirmish begins
      Republicans began skirmishing with President Clinton on the budget, passing a resolution calling on him to go back to the drawing boards and produce a blueprint that does a better job balancing federal spending.
      Voting 231-197, mostly along party lines, the House urged Clinton to redraw the budget according to guidelines set by the Congressional Budget Office. The agency had calculated Clinton's budget would fall $69 billion short of being balanced by the time he promised in 2002.
      The administration said it would stick with its own calculations, arguing the Congressional Budget Office has been wrong in the past. Democrats also charged that Republicans are in no position to point fingers because they have yet to produce a budget of their own.
      Ensign and Gibbons voted for the resolution.