Republican leaders want to stop Clinton
from raising money!!!
(COMTEX) Lott blasts Clinton trip
Lott blasts Clinton trip
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 (UPI) _ Senate Republican leader Trent Lott of
Mississippi says that if President Clinton has a problem with the pace
of Congress's budget process he should come up to the Hill and help
out, instead of leaving town for three days of fund raising.
Earlier today, the president signed a supplemental spending bill that
will keep the government operating for nine days after the Sept. 30
budget deadline, which Congress seems unlikely to meet. Clinton called
the bill, ''a regrettable sign that the majority in Congress has failed
to address the urgent priorities of the American people.''
Lott snapped back that the president's remarks came as Clinton, ''runs
off for three days of fund raising. He's got to decide, is he the
commander in chief or the fund-raiser-in-chief?''
So far this year, the House and Senate have managed to complete only
one of the 13 annual appropriations bills, although Lott predicted they
could complete final work on eight more by the end of next week.
''This is not the time to be taking gratuitous slaps at us,'' Lott
said. ''We need cooperation up here. We need a president who is engaged
_ and he is not.''
Lott complained that he has not had a real discussion with the
president since the U.S. bombing of alleged terrorist targets in
Afghanistan and Sudan last month, and that he has met with White House
chief of staff Erskine Bowles only twice.
The main reason, he said, is that the president, the Congress, the
media and the public have been distracted by the president's personal
scandals. But when asked whether the president still had enough
credibility left with legislators to work with them effectively, Lott
said: ''I really don't know. The only way to find out is for him to try
to do it, and he hasn't been willing to do that.'' _-
Copyright 1998 by United Press International.
All rights reserved. _- |
