News In Brief

Billions cut from arms bill by House-Senate conferees

House-Senate conferees agreed Tuesday on a compromise defense spending plan that trims billions from President Reagan's original request and imperils the future of the MX missile.

The authorization bill calls for overall defense spending of about $297 billion in fiscal 1985, but a $4 billion trim in a companion appropriations bill is yet to come.

Production of the MX awaits two go-ahead votes by each chamber next April. Failure to win any of those four votes would doom the missile.