Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411100097
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
A tax cut, welfare reform, crime legislation and health reform also are likely to be addressed in the 104th Congress - the first under GOP control since the Eisenhower era.
Senate Republican leader Bob Dole and Rep. Newt Gingrich, House speaker-in-waiting, pledged cooperation with President Clinton wherever possible. ``Maybe we can do some business,'' Dole told the president in a phone conversation witnessed by reporters.
The pain of political rejection showing in his face, President Clinton offered Wednesday to form, in effect, a centrist coalition government with Republicans to pass key legislation.
The president drew the line against any GOP proposals that he said would increase the federal deficit and jeopardize the economic recovery. He also spoke against rescinding the ban on assault-style weapons or the waiting period for buying guns, and he opposed banning abortion.
His voice hoarse and his eyes betraying fatigue, Clinton told reporters at a news conference that ``I accept my share of the responsibility'' for Tuesday's election outcome. In a long, rambling news conference in which he tried to put the best face on the returns, Clinton said he didn't do enough to explain his programs and his presidency. Americans ``don't like it when they watch what we do up here, and they haven't felt the positive impact of what has been done,'' he said.
In the spirit of compromise, he said he favored Republican efforts to make the tax code fairer by cutting tax rates for middle-income families, if it can be paid for without raising the deficit.
He predicted compromise agreements on health care and welfare reform. He seemed to have abandoned the ambitious universal-coverage plan that ran into so much trouble this year, but said he has not backed away from his commitment to ensure that Americans don't lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs or when someone in their family gets sick.
Gingrich said in an interview that he and the president talked by telephone about being able to ``disagree with reasonableness where we disagree.''
Gingrich said Republicans would move ahead - as promised - on their campaign ``Contract with America'' when Congress convenes in January.
In the House, the first-day agenda will include legislation to place Congress under the same federal laws that apply to the rest of the country, deeply cut congressional staffing levels, reduce the number of committees and subcommittees and implement term limits for committee chairmen.
Over the next 99 days, Gingrich and Republicans have pledged to bring several major bills to the floor for a vote. These include two constitutional amendments, one to balance the budget and one to impose term limits on lawmakers. Other proposals include a $500-per-child tax credit, with accompanying spending cuts to keep the deficit from rising, welfare reform, a crime bill, a capital gains tax cut, protecting the Pentagon's budget and other measures.
``The country voted for us. We now have an absolute total obligation to begin the first session with the contract, to enact the reforms in the contract,'' Gingrich said.
Gingrich and White House officials talked of bipartisanship, and he suggested a concerted effort to work on areas of agreement early in the year ``so we can prove a willingness on occasion to work together.''
White House chief of staff Leon Panetta said he believed bipartisan consensus could be found on matters such as welfare reform, health care reform, the line-item veto and tougher enforcement of criminal penalties.
Clinton said he would not ``compromise on my convictions.'' The Republican majorities are well shy of the two-thirds needed to override any vetoes.
by CNB