The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a reorganization that cuts the number of annual spending bills to 10 from 13, with a corresponding drop in the number of subcommittees responsible for doling out federal dollars.

Senator Robert F. Bennett, Republican of Utah and chairman of the subcommittee responsible for agriculture appropriations, said, "It concerns us greatly that many of these vendors charge prices well above other stores."

While the government did not conduct public awareness activities during the reporting period, the responsible subcommittee developed plans to implement a trafficking victim hotline and nationwide information campaign.

"Maybe it is not as much as you like," said Representative Ralph Regula, Republican of Ohio, chairman of the subcommittee responsible for the measure.

Finally, as a member of the subcommittee responsible for funding the legislative branch of government, he is especially interested in the effective use of legislative resources in serving constituents.

The White House team "came over and saw us all the time, but ignored what we said," said Representative Pete Stark, the California Democrat who was then chairman of a powerful subcommittee responsible for health legislation.

The actual spending for the agencies is established through the appropriations committees, mainly by subcommittees responsible for military spending.

Mr. Vander Schaaf, a 53-year-old former senior staff member of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee responsible for the military budget, has a reputation for being fiercely independent.

"This city's situation is totally improper," said Representative José E. Serrano, Democrat of New York and chairman of the subcommittee responsible for the District of Columbia appropriations bill.

Mr. Stark and Mr. Brown are the senior Democrats on powerful subcommittees responsible for health legislation.