WASHINGTON (AP)  Congressional negotiators agreed Wednesday to allow some funding for construction next year on a site for missile defense interceptors in Poland but sharply reduced the Bush adminstration's request. The agreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives would also fully fund the request for a radar site in the Czech Republic, opening the door for the next U.S. presidential administration to begin building a European missile defense system. The bill is a boost for a project that has been a serious source of tension in the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Russia. Moscow opposes the deployment of U.S. military assets so close to its borders and has argued that the system undermines the deterrent of its massive nuclear arsenal, a charge the U.S. has dismissed as absurd. In a concession by House Democrats, the bill would also allow the Defense Department to begin buying some parts for the interceptors planned for Poland. It would however, require the Defense Department to demonstrate through a series of tests that the interceptors could work before they could be bought and deployed. The concession could mitigate possible delays in deploying the system. Some proponents of the system have warned that the testing requirement could cause the defense department to miss by years its goal of deploying the system by 2013. The Bush administration argues that a quick deployment is necessary to counter threats from Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear enrichment programs. The full House is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday. It would also have to be approved by the Senate and signed by the president before it would take effect. The bill would cut the administration's 2009 funding request for the European project by almost $246 million out of $712 million. It would also cut the request for construction of the Polish site by $90 million out a total of about $133 million. However, the administration has projected that it could not begin construction of the Polish site until the end of next year, so the funds provided by Congress are likely to keep the project on schedule, according to Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rich Lehner. Lehner said that the provision that would allow the purchase of some parts of the interceptors would help the agency meet its 2013 deadline. The Bush adminstration had warned that some parts for the new interceptors could take several years to build. The testing requirement, if enforced, could still cause delays. The missile defense agency has has had a series of postponements in its testing program. It says it hopes to begin testing the interceptors for the European project in 2010. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more