Daschle still wants nine spending bills passed by August

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has scaled back his ambitious scheduling plans for the next two weeks in the wake of the GOP's plodding approach to fiscal 2002 appropriations bills, while maintaining the option of postponing the August recess. "Clearly you have to revise what is possible for the month," Daschle said, when asked if he still planned to pass nine appropriations bills before the break. Daschle said he wanted to pass "as many of the appropriations bills as possible," and mentioned a second supplemental spending bill for agriculture as well as the Export Administration Act. Daschle said he was "reasonably pleased" with the Senate's progress on nominations this week. Republicans slowed down the fiscal 2002 Energy and Water appropriations bill this week to secure passage of a new batch of presidential nominations, and are reserving their options on the Transportation appropriations bill. After a week of escalating rhetoric, Daschle today was more subdued, saying, "The Republicans are doing what they feel they have to do," and explained, "I'm going to have to roll with the punches." Asked if he had anything nice to say to President Bush - whom responded to critical Daschle comments from overseas - Daschle quipped, "I miss you." Daschle's comments come as Republicans and Democrats have sought to reach further agreements on moving legislation and nominations. Daschle said Democrats have told Republicans they want to "see if we can accommodate as many [nominees] as possible, without any numerical commitment." Majority Whip Reid, who has been working with Minority Whip Nickles on nominees, said Democrats are "doing the best we can," but will try to be "more specific" about moving nominations if they can do so without interfering with the prerogatives of committee chairmen. If Republicans are not satisfied with the pace of nominations, they have hinted that they will slow down the Transportation appropriations bill. GOP leaders insisted on taking up the House-passed bill, rather than immediately substituting a Senate committee version for it - a move a GOP leadership aide said was intended "to preserve all of our procedural options, rights, and points of order that might be available under Senate rules." The aide said this is how all appropriations bills would be handled in the future. Daschle said the move would allow Republicans more latitude on germaneness when offering amendments. Republican Policy Committee Chairman Larry Craig of Idaho said the move "protects our rights under the rules of the Senate," and was intended to deal primarily with the controversial issue of Mexican trucks operating in the United States. On the trucking issue, Daschle said Democrats want to find "common ground" with Bush, but criticized an administration veto threat of language by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. Noting that the administration is even more opposed to House-passed provisions on the issue, Daschle said, "If the administration is not careful, that's exactly what they're going to get."