Gingrich offers a little hope

But rules out reopening government before budget deal

December 29, 1995
Web posted at: 7:15 a.m. EST

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With high-level budget negotiation talks poised to resume Friday -- President Clinton will meet with House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole in the afternoon -- Gingrich held out hope for resolving the budget crisis within days, but asserted that reopening the government is out of the question until a seven-year balanced budget agreement is on the table. (247K AIFF sound or 247K WAV sound)

"The minute we have a budget agreement, we should be able to get something through the House in hours," Gingrich said at a news conference Thursday. "The key is we have to be in a position ... to have something for members to look at." (171K AIFF sound or 171K WAV sound)

Gingrich placed the responsibility for a breakthrough on President Clinton. "If the president would enter into negotiations tomorrow in good faith, I don't know of anything that's going to stop us that you can't solve in about two days," Gingrich said.

White House spokesperson Mike McCurry said Gingrich's assertions were "not constructive." He said if the negotiations were indeed in good faith, there was no reason to delay the reopening of the government. "The president believes the government ought to be reopened now," he said.

Meanwhile, Clinton vetoed yet another Republican-sponsored bill: a $265 billion defense policy measure. The president said it encouraged the purchase of expensive weapons systems that he said the Pentagon does not need, and funded an anti-missile system that would undermine an arms treaty with Russia.

However, Clinton issued an executive order raising military pay by 2 percent. The vetoed bill would have raised it 2.4 percent. He asked Congress to pass legislation to cover the remaining 0.4 percent.

Congress did not pass the defense bill by the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a veto.

Thursday saw a flurry of activity between Congressional and administration officials. They were holding discussions all day to prepare for Friday's crucial meeting between Clinton, GOP leaders and top Congressional democrats.

Putting in an appearance at Gingrich's news conference, Dole said Friday's talks should spill into the weekend.

Five members of the 73-strong House GOP freshmen class -- which has vehemently favored a seven-year balanced-budget deal -- Thursday suggested that Clinton, Dole and Gingrich should be locked in a room until they came to an agreement.

"The American people are saying why can't you get together -- stop the political posturing," said Rep. Joe Scarborough, R-Florida. "People aren't bashing the president. People aren't bashing Congress. They're bashing everybody."

The freshmen said all issues were open to discussion, including the Republican-proposed $240 billion tax cut.

During the initial days of the second partial government shutdown -- in its 13th day Thursday -- Gingrich had indicated that Republicans might be willing to reopen government while a budget agreement was still being worked out.

But House Republican freshmen maintained that the shutdown should continue until both sides reached a budget agreement using estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. Gingrich yielded, causing Clinton to openly wonder whether the troops were controlling the speaker. (247K AIFF sound or 247K WAV sound)

Nine federal agencies, including those issuing passports and visas and those running national parks, have been closed since December 15 in this second round of the partial shutdown, and some 260,000 workers have been furloughed.

The shutdown is partly because a number of bills funding government departments have not been signed into law yet, and Congress has refused to approve a temporary measure without an overall budget accord.

Gingrich offers a little hope

But rules out reopening government before budget deal

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