With the rush to adjournment beginning as Congress returns this week, key Republicans are intent on not letting thorny unresolved appropriations issues prevent them from fleeing town at the end of the first week of November.
"I have no reason to think that we can't finish our business by the first week of November," House Appropriations Chairman Robert Livingston, R-La., said last week. However, Livingston acknowledged several difficult questions remain in several appropriations bills, controversies that must be bumped up to the leadership level. "We've got to make joint decisions on those issues," he said.
Attempting to give themselves more time to work on the issues, Congress is likely to pass a week-long continuing resolution to keep parts of the federal government operating past this Thursday, when the current CR expires. Republicans are intent on avoiding any government shutdown this year. Congress has not finished work on six of the 13 annual appropriations bills, and a few of the bills sent to the president may require further action depending on how the president exercises his new line item veto power.
While Senate Appropriations Chairman Stevens seemed intent on trying to override the president's 38 line item vetoes in the Military Construction bill, Livingston is less anxious to attempt it. "We gave him the power of the line item veto," he said, adding that as long as the president does not use it in a partisan manner, he believes Republicans should not "rise up in indignance when he uses it."
Even ignoring the line item veto issues, Congress has its work cut out for it. The Senate has not yet passed the Agriculture appropriations measure. Because that bill contains FDA funding, congressional leaders are waiting to ensure that FDA reform legislation passes before taking final action on the funding bill.
Appropriators plan to file the Interior appropriations bill conference report immediately upon returning from the recess.
Conservative House Republicans may try to fight that measure because it provides funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, a program many GOP members want killed.
The Senate has not completed action on the District of Columbia bill.
The House passed it by one vote, with Democrats opposing it because it created a program providing District parents with vouchers to help pay the cost of private school for their children.
Livingston said that for the most part Republicans support the voucher plan, but admitted, "We don't know where we stand in the Senate."
President Clinton opposes the voucher plan.
From there, the appropriations questions become even tougher.
The Foreign Operations bill remains bogged down over two issues, funding for family planning organizations and a new controversy over Israel's refusal to extradite a man charged with murder in Montgomery County, Md.
The family planning controversy arises each year, but the Israeli question is new. Livingston has threatened aid to Israel if it does not extradite murder suspect Samuel Sheinbein.
"This kid is a U.S. citizen who never stepped foot in Israel," Livingston said.
Meanwhile, the Labor-HHS bill remains stalled over the issue of national testing.
The Senate plan allows an already established national assessment governing board to work on national tests for students, while the House plan specifically prohibits spending any federal funds on tests.
Appropriators had hoped the authorizing committees would help resolve the issue, but House Education and the Workforce Chairman Goodling has refused, saying the House position should prevail.
"Obviously, we have to do something," Livingston said. He added that if the testing issue can be resolved, the Labor-HHS bill still will attract "a large degree of bipartisan support."
Conferees on the measure settled one major issue before the recess, tentatively agreeing to drop a Senate provision that would have converted most elementary and secondary education programs into a block grant.
Senate Democrats had threatened a filibuster over the issue and have threatened similar action over testing.
Finally, the issue of sampling in the 2000 census continues to cause trouble for the Commerce-Justice-State bill.
Republicans want to prohibit sampling, but Clinton has threatened a veto if sampling is not permitted. Republicans have been told that sampling could lead to their losing House seats.
While seeking to complete work on the FY98 spending bills, members of Congress also are focusing on which other bills can make it onto the rapidly shrinking calendar for floor action prior to adjournment.
Although the Republican leadership has set a target adjournment date of Nov. 7, the possibility remains that Congress could be in session up until the Thanksgiving holiday.
Going into the final weeks of the first session of the 105th Congress, House and Senate leaders have put education and transportation initiatives at the top of their agenda.
In the House, where Speaker Gingrich and Majority Leader Armey have actively and personally been stumping for vouchers and school choice, education reform will be a dominant theme on the floor for the remainder of the year.
Among the items ready for floor action are bills to allow parents to create tax-favored education savings accounts to pay for K-12 education costs, and to promote establishment of charter schools and allow for national school choice. Other House floor priorities, according to Armey's office, include IRS reform and, depending on the level of Democratic support, a vote on renewing fast track trade negotiating authority for the White House.
In the Senate, the top priority, other than FY98 appropriations, is reauthorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. Also on deck are bills to reform Amtrak and to facilitate adoptions.
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