Just hours after President Clinton vetoed the disaster relief supplemental spending bill Monday, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., began pushing a compromise on census and continuing resolution language, the two provisions on which the president based his veto.
"I'm not here looking for confrontation," Lott told reporters shortly after a telephone conversation with Clinton. "I'm looking for language that can help get our job done."
As sent to the president, the bill included a provision calling for an automatic CR if Congress does not complete work on the 13 appropriations measures by the end of the fiscal year. Lott declined to specify what his proposal includes. However, Lott did say his compromise proposal calls for a CR lasting less than a full fiscal year. Earlier Monday, Senate Minority Leader Daschle had said Democrats might accept such a plan, depending on the funding level called for in such a provision.
On the census issue, the bill, as vetoed by Clinton, would have banned sampling in the 2000 census. Many Republicans favor this ban, contending that sampling could cost them House seats after reapportionment.
Lott said his compromise proposal would be to take a "time out" on sampling. The proposal would simply prohibit the Census Bureau from beginning to institute sampling until further studies are conducted, according to Lott. "I'm not convinced that sampling might not work," Lott said. However, he conceded some House Republicans might not go along with that plan.
Lott said he is concerned that Clinton vetoed the legislation without proposing any type of compromise.
"I'm the only one out here throwing out ideas," Lott said, charging, "They thought they would veto the bill and we would pop it right back there."
Lott talked with Daschle Monday.
A Senate Democratic aide said of Lott's proposal: "We're willing to explore those options. My intuition is that if [Lott] wants something to work, it will work."
The aide added, however, that Lott must be certain that other Republicans are in agreement if a deal is cut.
For example, the aide said, Lott has not guaranteed that the census sampling ban would not simply reappear on an FY98 appropriations measure.
Meanwhile, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., whose state would be assisted in the disaster relief funding in the supplemental bill, attempted to seek unanimous consent on the Senate floor Monday afternoon to pass a stripped-down disaster relief bill.
Senate Majority Whip Nickles immediately objected, saying he had voted against the bill because it spent too much money.
Republicans may meet today to try to develop a strategy for dealing with the vetoed supplemental.
House Appropriations Chairman Livingston said Monday GOP leaders had not yet developed a consensus on the question, but added that Republicans "would be happy to directly engage the president" on the outstanding issues.
House Majority Leader Armey added: "The House will act quickly this week to pass relief funding again. I hope the president will stop playing politics and work with us to eliminate even the possibility of any government shutdown."
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