Us Congress In Beat-The-Clock With Funds

Senate minority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, and Republican Senate Whip Don Nickles of Oklahoma, said they might have to provide temporary government funds for a few days next week while negotiations continue.

Unlike last year, when budget disputes pushed the government into two partial closures, all sides said this week they were determined to avoid a closure just before the November 5 election. The government's new fiscal year starts next Tuesday and without passage of the multibillion-dollar bill many agencies would be forced to close.

I am not going to prolong this artificially just to keep us here, Daschle told reporters. At the same time, Democrats will insist Republicans give details of the spending bill and amendments before they agree to allow a vote.

 

I'm ruling out Democrats stopping a continuing resolution from passing simply to make a political point. I am not ruling out holding our ground, he said at a news conference at the end of Tuesday's session.

Later he said that negotiations on adding immigration reform and other issues to the bill could prolong the debate and force Congress to pass interim funding.

From the other side, Nickles said Republicans also had reservations about Democratic policies added to the bill and might want to hold out for a short-term funding.

Republican leaders, faced with polls that show Democrats stand a chance of reclaiming control of at least the House, are keen to send their lawmakers to campaign.

But Daschle noted that several Democratic senators faced close races as well and his party wanted to free them to campaign. Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, who sets the Senate schedule, said he had given lawmakers notice they should be prepared to work through the weekend, or to return Monday for final passage of the bill.

The largest item in the spending bill is the Defense Department's $245 billion. The rest will go to fund many federal agencies whose regular appropriations have not cleared Congress.

The negotiations so far have given President Clinton most of the $6.5 billion he wanted in extra domestic spending and for anti-terrorism programs. Still to be decided are several policy issues, including an abortion-related issue concerning curbs on U.S. contributions to international agencies that use private funding for abortion services.

The House expected to begin debate on the spending bill, often called a continuing resolution, by Thursday or Friday, said Republican Leader Dick Armey of Texas. But this is the last train out of the station, Armey said, and members were eager to attach their special projects to the bill. Lawmakers said they will try to attach legislation to ban gun ownership by people convicted of domestic violence, give banks some regulatory relief and give health plan physicians a clear right to discuss all available treatments wth patients.

Armey said he did not expect the government would be allowed to close, but that there could be disagreements before final resolution of all outstanding issues.