cannabisnews.com: Clinton, Congress Face Four Veto Fights





Clinton, Congress Face Four Veto Fights
Posted by FoM on October 11, 1999 at 14:09:25 PT
By Alan Fram
Source: SF Gate
As this year's budget battle nears a climax, President Clinton is threatening to veto four spending bills. He and Congress are at odds over such issues as hiring teachers and police officers and regulating oil and gas companies that use federal lands. 
The two sides are separated by about $10 billion to $20 billion -- about the same magnitude as most end-of-session spending fights since Republicans took over Congress in 1995. Though substantial, the funds at stake amount to about 1 percent of the near $1.8 trillion federal budget. This year's tussle, however, is complicated by the GOP's stated refusal to pay for extra spending from the Social Security surplus. For decades, both parties have used that till to find needed billions of dollars. Having lost their coveted tax cut to a Clinton veto, GOP leaders want to cast themselves as defenders of the huge pension system -- and are daring the president to do otherwise. ``Please work with us to guarantee the retirement security of our seniors and the quality of life of Americans before we give even more money to other nations,'' House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and other GOP leaders said after Clinton threatened to veto a foreign aid bill he said was too small. Clinton wants to be seen as the champion of education and other popular programs, and has begun tweaking Congress for not doing its work. Eleven days into fiscal 2000, he has signed just five of the new year's 13 spending bills. ``They're still drawing a paycheck up there,'' he said last week. ``And it's a little larger than it was before a bill that I signed. And I don't think they ought to make themselves into a lame-duck Congress.'' He referred to a measure that gave members of Congress a 4.6 percent pay raise. Three fiscal 2000 measures -- covering defense, veterans, housing, science, agriculture, and environment-- seem likely to be completed by Congress and signed soon. That leaves five other bills as the remaining battleground. To pay for them, GOP leaders are considering across-the-board spending cuts ranging from $3 billion to $8 billion. Lacking support for other ideas, GOP leaders say such cuts are fair, but the administration opposes the plan as a meat-ax approach that will hurt needed programs. One remaining bill, covering the District of Columbia, has already been vetoed. GOP leaders say they will remove some items Clinton has objected to covering city council members' salaries and fees paid to lawyers suing the schools. But the bill would still prohibit the medical use of marijuana and needle distribution to drug addicts, and is likely to continue drawing administration objections. Four other bills face veto threats: --A $300 billion-plus measure covering the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The Senate version is about the same size as Clinton's request, the House is roughly $5 billion smaller. Both would provide less than the $1.4 billion Clinton wants to continue his seven-year drive to hire 100,000 extra elementary school teachers, and would give states more leeway in using the money. Congress also would provide less than Clinton wants for after-school programs, adult literacy, preventive health and other social programs. --A $35 billion bill for the departments of Commerce, Justice and State, $2 billion less than Clinton requested. Congress would provide little of the $1.3 billion Clinton sought to help communities hire tens of thousands of police officers. Instead, they would shift resources to school safety and other programs. Lawmakers also would provide less than Clinton wants for the FBI, civil rights enforcement, high technology assistance to companies and unpaid United Nations dues. --A $14 billion measure for the Interior Department, $1 billion less than Clinton proposed. The House and Senate would provide about one-third of the near $800 million Clinton wants to buy state and federal park lands under his ``lands legacy'' program. Clinton opposes Senate provisions that would prevent the government from increasing royalties paid by oil companies drilling on federal lands, and would ease restrictions on waste dumping by mining firms on public lands. --A $12.7 billion foreign aid bill, $2 billion less than Clinton sought. The bill would provide none of the $500 million Clinton requested for first payments under the Wye River accord between Israel and the Palestinians. It also would provide less than he wanted for international debt relief, the Peace Corps and efforts to reduce the nuclear threat from North Korea and other countries. ALAN FRAM, Associated Press WriterMonday, October 11, 1999 Related Articles:National Agendas Color D.C. Marijuana Debate - 10/10/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3229.shtml GOP Budget Would Keep D.C. Limits - 10/09/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3214.shtmlE-The People: Petition: Making Peace In The Drug War http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3226.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by Dankhank on October 11, 1999 at 15:01:04 PT:
Pressure
Keep the pressure up ..... folks . .......e-mail all the top players in the whole mess ...Tell Bill to veto the DC2000 budget until the Republicans withdraw objections to clean-needle exchange and medical marijuana.Tell your representatives and senators to leave Initiave 59 alone.all links on my links page ...
LINKS
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