Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9409270044
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Senate Republicans on Friday tightened their hold on the remnants of President Clinton's agenda in what furious Democrats described as a ``scorched- earth'' strategy to deny them any legislative victories before the November elections.
After a rare all-night session prompted by Republican delaying tactics, Democrats won procedural votes on bills to overhaul campaign-finance laws and protect California deserts. But they faced further delays on the measures that could eat up most of the time remaining before Congress's adjournment target of Oct. 7.
The partisan rancor also engulfed other major measures:
Legislation to rewrite the nation's telecommunications laws died for the year, partly because of last-minute proposals for ``major revisions'' from Minority Leader Robert Dole, R-Kan., according to Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest Hollings, D-S.C. Dole said he was sorry the bill died.
Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., sent an SOS to Clinton, saying legislation to pump new life into the Superfund for hazardous waste cleanup could be saved only by high-profile presidential intervention. ``My real concern is that the politics of gridlock will doom this bill,'' Baucus said.
Action on a bill to ban lobbyists' gifts to lawmakers was delayed until Monday after Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, stormed out of a conference committee, complaining that Republicans had not been consulted and warning of ``substantial delay'' in the Senate if the committee approves the measure on a party-line vote.
The District of Columbia appropriations bill, already threatened with an amendment to repeal parts of the recently passed crime bill, could become the staging area for a fight over setting a date for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Haiti.
Sen. Hank Brown, R-Colo., said he would seek to amend the D.C. or some other spending bill to include language calling for a troop withdrawal by Dec. 31.
``What we have here is gridlock ... as part of a scorched-earth policy'' to damage the Senate and the Democrats who control it, said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in a speech defending the campaign-finance bill as an important step in reducing the influence of special-interest money in politics.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he made no apologies for blocking ``this turkey'' of a campaign-finance bill, which he described as a Democratic power grab masquerading as reform.
``Part of being a legislator is to not let bad things happen,'' he said.
The bill would set voluntary spending limits, provide incentives for compliance and restrict contributions by special interests.
Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, described by colleagues as extremely frustrated, took the floor as the Senate left for the weekend to denounce what he described as ``unprecedented obstructionist actions'' by Republicans in invoking rules to delay action for days even after a filibuster is broken.
Mitchell said he had consulted historians, parliamentarians and others and ``no one can recall, nor can anyone find, any record of a similar series of events,'' which he said is ``making it impossible to conduct any business, even that business that is required by law.''
Mitchell was referring to Republicans' use of obscure rules allowing three successive 30-hour stretches of debate before a bill that already has been approved by both houses can be sent to a House-Senate conference to resolve final differences.
They employed the tactics to delay the campaign-finance bill and could do so on the California desert measure, some Republicans said.
To start running out the time, Democrats forced Republicans to talk, each for one hour under the rules, from noon Thursday to 2 p.m. Friday, when everyone happily took the weekend off. Before leaving, they voted 93-0 to move to the next stage of the campaign-finance fight and 73-20 to end the California desert filibuster, setting the stage for other delaying tactics.
Cots were hauled out during the night, although nearly all Democrats stayed home and most Republican speakers appeared for only their required hour.
Brown said he used to work the night shift at a restaurant, so did not mind taking the 4 to 5 a.m. shift. Friday, he said he found the restaurant work more rewarding.
by CNB