House appropriators will shoulder much less of the weight for legislative changes in the 105th Congress than they did during the 104th Congress, House Appropriations Chairman Livingston said today."You're going to see less of the burden placed on the Appropriations Committee to carry the heavy water," Livingston told CongressDaily in an interview.
During the 104th Congress, GOP leaders often tried -- with only mixed success -- to include substantive legislative riders in funding measures. Livingston said with House Speaker Gingrich's decision to give authorizing committee chairmen more power, those panels will deal with legislative changes.
Livingston also predicted the bipartisan effort that resulted in passage of the omnibus appropriations bill at the end of the 104th Congress will continue. He said most Democrats recognize the need to pass the 13 appropriations bills and Republicans will try to build coalitions with those Democrats. A GOP effort to run the House with only Republican support "proved not to work too well. As we got away from that, things moved better," Livingston said.
Livingston met today with new OMB Director Raines and characterized the meeting as an attempt to "smooth out the kinks in the coming appropriations process." Livingston said with President Clinton's emphasis on the need for a balanced budget, there may be a "lot of room for common ground."
Livingston said, however, that the next Congress must make entitlement reform a major priority. "You really can't get to a balanced budget unless entitlements are incorporated," he said.
Livingston also said it is "too early to tell" whether appropriators can work within the spending caps called for in the FY97 budget plan and it may be February or March before GOP leaders decide whether to try to pass a rescissions bill. Raines, as he left the meeting with Livingston, said he is pleased with the reception he has received on Capitol Hill. He said the negotiations that resulted in the omnibus funding measure helped emphasize the administration's priorities, and Republicans are now well aware of the administration's desires. "That part is behind us," he said.
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