House panel votes cutoff in Nicaraguan rebel aid

The House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a rebuff to President Reagan's Central American policy, voted 20 to 14 to cut off US aid to Nicaraguan rebels. The bill, approved last month by the House Intelligence Committee, goes to the full House - where congressmen who back the administration's position hope to modify it.

The vote, which came after efforts to compromise with the administration collapsed, followed partisan lines. Critics say the President is violating a law that bars aid to groups seeking to overthrow the Marxist government of Nicaragua. Mr. Reagan has denied the charge, saying US aid is only to stop the flow of arms from Nicaragua to leftist guerrillas in El Salvador.