WASHINGTON - A House Appropriations subcommittee approved legislation  Monday night that axes funding for President Clinton's community   development bank program in fiscal 1996.   
Eliminating funding for the Community Development Financial Institutions  fund, or CDFI, would mean that lenders helping small businesses in poor   communities would have no seed money.   
  
But Capitol Hill is looking for places to cut the budget.
"Termination will result in a $144 million savings from the fiscal year  1996 budget request," according to a document released by Appropriation's   independent agencies subcommittee.   
  
The program had scored a small victory last week when the House voted to  put $50 million in the CDFI fund this year. However, Monday night's   subcommittee vote casts a shadow over the future of the program.   
The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up the  fiscal year '96 spending package early next week.