Rep. Lee Terry said Tuesday criticism of his recent vote against a war funding bill demonstrates a Democratic commitment to big government.

Terry said he voted against the supplemental funding package for Iraq and Afghanistan because it was loaded down with other spending items, including "$108 billion in foreign aid."

If state Sen. Tom White decides to challenge him in next year's 2nd District House race, Terry said, he believes the contest will be "between responsible and limited government or a larger government role in our lives."

White appears poised to seek the 2010 Democratic nomination in the metropolitan Omaha district. He expects to make a final decision in July.

Ten days ago, White leveled criticism at Terry for the war supplemental funding vote and attacked the Republican congressman's broader record on military and veterans issues.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will launch a radio ad campaign Wednesday targeting Terry's supplemental funding vote as a failure to support U.S. troops.

"What they're not telling you is that (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi porked it up with liberal projects," Terry said in a telephone interview from Washington.

"They turned it into a big liberal spending bill and used our service members to do it."

Terry said his vote against the bill was designed to defeat the measure so it could be replaced by a "clean" bill essentially limited to funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Five House Republicans voted for the bill, which was approved by a 226-202 vote.

The $108 billion referred to by Terry is a U.S. line of credit to the International Monetary Fund for loans to poor countries. It was secured by a $5 billion appropriation in the bill.

Also in the package were $7.7 billion to battle a flu pandemic and more than $10 billion in development and security assistance for a number of countries, including Pakistan, Iraq and Mexico.

During the George W. Bush administration, Democrats have noted, Republicans added extraneous issues to supplemental war spending measures.

"I have consistently supported limited government and an efficient use of our resources," Terry said.

"I support responsible spending by the Congress."

Terry, first elected in 1998, is the senior member of Nebraska's five-man congressional delegation.

And he's planning to seek a seventh term.

"Yeah, I'll be a candidate next year," he said.

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.