Angry Daschle Uses Maneuver To Shut Down Committee Meetings

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Sep. 23) -- Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, upset at what he considers foot-dragging by Republicans, has effectively shut down today's Senate committee meetings, including the Thompson campaign fund-raising hearings and the Finance Committee hearings on I.R.S. abuses.

A representative from Daschle's office said the South Dakota Democrat feels the Senate's Republican leadership is not acting fast enough to move existing judicial nominations along and to schedule debate on campaign-finance reform.

In addition, Daschle is said to be irked at the way the Senate Rules Committee is continuing its investigation into alleged campaign abuses in Louisiana's 1996 Senate race, which was won by Democrat Mary Landrieu. The election is being challenged by her Republican opponent, Woody Jenkins.

To shut down the hearings, Daschle invoked an obscure but apparently firm Senate rule that allows any senator to object to committee meetings continuing once the Senate has been in session for two hours that day.

In Other News:

Tuesday Sept. 23, 1997

• White House Placing Pressure On Reno
• Senate Committee Investigates IRS Practices
• Clinton: Congress Must Consider Campaign Reform
• Daschle Uses Maneuver To Shut Down Committee Meetings
• Fund-Raising Panel Changes Course

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