Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Clinton faces challenges in Democratic Congress Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 17:03:26 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \HD Clinton faces challenges in Democratic Congress \BY J. Jennings Moss \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES \DT LITTLE ROCK, Ark. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - For the first time in 12 years, congressional Democrats met last night with a president-elect from their frequently fractured party and talked about what priorities to pursue in the next administration. And while Bill Clinton probably found much to agree on with Congress' three most important Democrats during a dinner last night at the Arkansas governor's mansion, comments by the lawmakers over the weekend indicate there may be challenges to some of his key proposals. Mr. Clinton should be prepared for fights from Democratic as well as Republican lawmakers on health care reform, middle-class taxes, homosexuals in the military, the line-item veto and government staffing, the lawmakers seemed to be saying. The three congressional leaders - House Speaker Thomas Foley, Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt - traveled to Little Rock to find out how this outsider who has never been part of the Washington political establishment intends to deal with them. According to Clinton aides, the answer to that question is "forcefully." Advisers to the new president say he will take an activist approach to the job although he will usually labor to find consensus. The formal comments on the get-together will come this morning when the four men meet the press. Playing down the visit, Mr. Clinton described it early yesterday as an informal gathering of old friends. "I think we're just going to have a meeting to kind of renew our acquaintance, talk about our obligations, look to the future a little bit, talk a little bit about next week, when I go to Washington for the first time," Mr. Clinton told reporters. Clinton communications director George Stephanopoulos indicated that the meeting would be more substantive. "It's an important way to break the ice and talk about what is coming ahead on the legislative calendar and talk about how they are going to work together for the next four years," he said. The trip Mr. Clinton spoke of begins Wednesday when he meets with President Bush at the White House. On Thursday he talks with lawmakers from both parties. Of the meeting with Mr. Bush, Mr. Clinton said he was looking forward to it and added, "His people so far have been quite cooperative, and I think it's time for us to get together." Mr. Clinton agrees with his party's leaders on Capitol Hill on several issues: boosting taxes on the rich, requiring companies to give their employees unpaid time off in cases of family emergencies, guaranteeing abortion rights, ending the ban on abortion counseling in federally financed clinics, increasing financing for AIDS research and cutting defense spending. But one disagreement that already has surfaced between Mr. Foley and Mr. Clinton is the president-elect's desire for the line-item veto. Mr. Foley last week offered a compromise that would allow Congress to reverse presidential cuts, and Mr. Clinton said he would consider the idea. Another erruption could occur over taxes. Mr. Clinton campaigned on a joint pledge of raising taxes on those making more than $200,000 while cutting them on the middle class, especially families with children. Mr. Mitchell, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," said of the middle-class tax cut, "That option remains on the table." "My view is that it's one of many options that ought to be considered, and we ought to make a decision based upon what will be best for the economy," the Maine senator said. He also dismissed Mr. Clinton's call for Congress to cut its staff by 25 percent as he said he will do to the White House staff. Saying the level of staff on Capitol Hill has decreased 4 percent over the past decade, Mr. Mitchell said he expected more reductions but did not think a 25 percent cut in one year was appropriate. Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Foley, along with Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas, have tried to steer the debate away from focusing on what Mr. Clinton can do in the first 100 days of his administration. They noted that the health care problem would take much longer to correct. Mr. Dole, who also appeared on the NBC program, said that he would take a tough role in considering Mr. Clinton's proposals but that he did not want to be "obstructionist." "I think I owe it to a lot of Republicans who are out there looking for leadership who don't agree with Bill Clinton, may never agree with Bill Clinton, to at least indicate we're not going to be patsies and floor mats and rubber stamps," he said. He added that Senate Republicans already are working on alternative economic proposals. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM