WASHINGTON — Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, supports expanded educational benefits for service members — but that does not mean he backs the latest effort to boost them.

With a potentially partisan battle shaping up this week on the G.I. Bill, Mr. McHugh is taking the cautious approach, declining to say what he will do when a Democratic-sponsored measure comes to the House floor.

One reason is, lawmakers are not sure which version they will see, said Mr. McHugh's spokeswoman, Stephanie Nigro.

Democrats are reported to favor putting legislation proposed by Sen. James Webb, D-Va., and Rep. Harry E. Mitchell, D-Ariz., onto a war spending bill, which would put considerable pressure on Republicans to support it.

That bill has 294 co-sponsors in the House, but not Mr. McHugh, who is ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. But the expansion those lawmakers envision would cost $51.8 billion over 10 years, as well as extending the benefit from 10 years to 15 years after leaving the service.

President Bush has said he will veto the war spending bill if the G.I. benefit is included.

Ms. Nigro said she could not say whether Mr. McHugh would support a provision he has yet to see. But he does support a different version proposed by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.

The congressman picked that one, Ms. Nigro said, because it appears to have the best chance at passage and has advanced farther than the others, having been approved in committee. "That's the only one that's actually moving," she said.

Mr. McHugh agrees that educational benefits should be expanded for service members, Ms. Nigro said. "He's a firm believer that we need to make some progress on it."