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Some boos for the new budgetLast-minute pork draws criticismWASHINGTON (AllPolitics, October 21) -- Without fanfare, President Bill Clinton has signed what is being called the largest piece of legislation in American history. But it will take days for anyone to struggle through the 4,000 pages and figure out exactly what is in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1998.
Most legislators, aides and lobbyists could only guess at what items have been squirreled away in the package deal that GOP leaders and White House negotiators first assembled behind closed doors. In its final hurdle on Capitol Hill, the spending measure cleared the Senate Wednesday morning on a 65-29 vote. Congress is "beginning to resemble a kind of bastard parliamentary system" where the "real decisions are made in a closed room by three or four people," said Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-New York), one of nine Senate Democrats to vote against the budget bill. Also voting "no" were 20 Senate Republicans. And then there was the tweaking of the budget by lawmakers eager to curry favor with voters back home by including pet projects. "No one knows how many millions of dollars have been tucked away for special projects for individual members behind a curtain," said Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska), explaining why he was voting against the spending measure. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) bluntly called the budget "a colossal monstrosity" after giving it a thumbs down.
"This bill is a shameful example of why the American public has become cynical and skeptical of government. We seem to have forgotten that all these programs, whether meritorious or not, must be paid for," complained Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), who also voted against the $520 billion dollar measure. In his statement on the Senate floor Wednesday, McCain also named what he considered to be egregious pork-barrel spending in the new budget. Here are a few of those highlighted spending programs:
"Designating spending as an emergency doesn't make it free. It still has to be paid for," said McCain. And some beneficiaries of a $20 billion emergency spending package will be surprised when they get the aid. Milk prices are at an all-time high and the federal government is supposed to be phasing out support for the dairy industry. But the $6 billion farm-relief package includes $200 million for dairy producers. "This is simply getting even politically on the part of some members of Congress interested in the dairy industry. I don't know what other logic one could apply to it," said John Schnittker Sr., an agribusiness consultant and former Agriculture Department economist.
As a measure of how the multi-billion dollar budget was straining GOP ties, Sen. Don Nickles of Oklahoma, the No. 2 Senate Republican, also voted against the budget. His superior in the chamber's leadership, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), helped negotiate the agreement. Some conservatives reacted to the budget by hollering "off with their heads." Howard Phillips, chairman of the Conservative Caucus, wants Lott and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) to lose their leadership positions when Congress returns in January. And Phillips says any lawmaker who votes to re-elect either GOP leader should also be held responsible for the budget, whether or not they voted for it. The White House is pleased with the budget package. As for the grumbling over alleged pork, officials say they would cut those items out if they could. "Unfortunately some members have put some things in there that ... if we still had the tool of the line-item veto we might exercise," said White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart. "But on balance we think the right thing to do is to sign the legislation based on the gains for the American people." CNN's Janet Moore and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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MORE STORIES:Wednesday, October 21, 1998
• Audio of Jones v. Clinton appeal arguments available on the Web • Clinton lawyers, Judiciary investigators discuss ground rules • Clinton signs omnibus spending bill • White House criticizes GOP over Hormel nomination • Susan McDougal's lawyer seeks mistrial • Investigators want to question political opponent in state senator's slaying • Study: Media coverage of Clinton scandal mixed • Starr seeks to restore charges against Hubbell • Poll: Support for school vouchers slips | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
