U.S. HOUSE PANEL EASES SOVIET EXPORT CONTROLS The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to ease restrictions on exports that are now kept from shipment to Soviet-bloc countries but are no longer a threat to U.S. national security. The Democratic-controlled committee said the administration's export control policies, which restrict shipment of thousands of products, contributed to last year's record 169 billion dlr U.S. trade deficit. The committee said the legislation will cut government red tape and make it easier for U.S. companies to compete with foreign producers since many of the goods are readily available from other countries. Rep. Don Bonker, chairman of the International Economic Policy subcommittee, said the unnecessary restrictions had cost the U.S. 17 billion dlrs in exports a year. "This is Congress' number one opportunity to attack the trade deficit in a positive way by exporting more," the Washington Democrat said. The legislation would order the Commerce Department to lift controls on 40 pct of goods on the restricted export list over the next three years unless other countries agree to comparable controls. Most of these are of the least sophisticated type of technology such as medical instruments. It would also give the Commerce Department primary authority to decide which exports will be permitted and limit the Defense Department to an advisory role in reviewing requests to export highly-sensitive technology.