Reprinted from The Washington Times , 5am -- May 18, 1998
TOP POLITICAL STORY
GOP sets a veto trap for Clinton
By Nancy E. Roman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The GOP-led Congress is drawing an election-year line in the sand, sending President Clinton bills he will either veto or allow to become law without his signature.
"We're clearly on the offense," said Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, chairman of the House Republicans. "[The Democrats] have no offense more than veto threats."
The White House has not advanced any major reforms since January, when accusations emerged that the president had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.
"It is agreed all around that he lacks any legislative clout," said Rep. Christopher Cox, California Republican and chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. "Not only is he a lame duck, he has weak support among Democrats."
Meanwhile, both the House and Senate have passed, or will pass, measures that would:
- Build roads and bridges in all 50 states.
- Give $7 million in scholarships to 2,000 children from low-income families in the District of Columbia for public or private school tuition. That bill has been on Mr. Clinton's desk since May 8, and he has until Wednesday to veto it.
- Allow families to save up to $2,000 annually for their children's education without being taxed on the interest. Both chambers have passed the measure and will send it to the president's desk after ironing out differences -- most likely next month.
- Increase by 0.5 percent the interest that students pay on federal student loans. The increase was negotiated by Democrats and Republicans to keep banks in the loan business.
- Ban partial-birth abortions, a measure that has passed the House and Senate twice and will be reconsidered in late summer.
"I'm not certain how many of these [vetoes] we can override," said Rep. Deborah Pryce, Ohio Republican and secretary for the House Republicans. "But the American people will see one good piece of legislation after another being shot down at the White House."
The president also has said he would veto a bill that seeks to curb religious persecution around the world. On Thursday, the House passed a bill that would impose sanctions on countries that engage in a pattern of religious persecution. The measure passed the House 375-41 -- more than enough votes to override a veto.
A similar bill is moving through the Senate.
If the Senate takes up a House-passed ban on federal funding of clean hypodermic needles for drug addicts, Mr. Clinton could face a decision on that, too.
But Democrats are banking on Mr. Clinton's adeptness at using the veto as an opportunity to gain the upper hand.
"I welcome an opportunity to take these arguments to the American people," said House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri.
In 1995, Mr. Clinton vetoed the GOP-drafted budget, laying the foundation for the 1996 elections. He then attacked Medicare reform as a threat to the program that provides health insurance for the nation's seniors and disabled citizens. He attacked regulatory reform as anti-environment.
But Rep. David M. McIntosh, Indiana Republican, says the GOP is in a better position to do battle with the president this time.
"We have done a lot better job of setting up things he might veto so that we win on public opinion," he said.
Mr. McIntosh said Republicans have structured bills so they are more limited. For example, school choice, considered in 1996 as part of the appropriations bill for the District, is a free-standing bill this year.
"A veto helps him with his base, and helps us with our base and with the middle ground," he said, referring to critical swing voters. He said the one exception might be the transportation bill, where the swing voters might agree that Congress spent more than it should have on roads and bridges.
Sen. Pete V. Domenici, New Mexico Republican, warned that if Rep. John Kasich, Ohio Republican, keeps pushing his budget plan that cuts taxes by $100 billion and pays for it with potentially unpopular domestic cuts, Republicans could face a veto that would reprise the 1995-96 budget skirmish.
"The proof will be in the pudding in the next three months when the president starts vetoing bills," he said.
White House budget director Franklin D. Raines agreed, adding that the approach of Mr. Kasich is "quite frankly a formula for deadlock and intended to replay the government shutdowns of 1995."
Mr. McIntosh conceded Republicans need to be careful.
"I don't mind playing a veto strategy that we can defend and win," he said. "I don't want to lump in so many things that we can't win."Copyright 1998 News World Communications, Inc.
Reprinted with permission of
The Washington Times.
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