Struggling to put the finishing touches on an omnibus spending plan, Republicans insisted Tuesday that a deal was near--but Democrats warned that members anxious to go home should not pack their bags yet.
"We think we're close," House Appropriations Chairman Livingston said, following a House GOP leadership meeting, estimating that negotiators are 90-95 percent of the way to a deal on remaining issues. However, House Minority Leader Gephardt told reporters, "There are a number of issues that are still outstanding." Democrats said Republicans have not moved sufficiently on a number of crucial issues--most notably education.
GOP leaders Tuesday unveiled a counterproposal to the Clinton administration's class size initiative. The GOP plan would provide $1.1 billion--the same amount as President Clinton. However, it would provide school districts with flexibility to use the funds for such programs as improving the quality of special education teachers, providing additional training for teachers, and purchasing instructional materials and teacher competency exams--in addition to hiring teachers.
The plan also would prohibit development of national student testing and prohibit the president's school construction initiative.
"We want the decisions to be made at the local level," House Majority Leader Armey said.
However, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Vic Fazio of California said Democrats will continue to insist funds be provided for school construction. A House Democratic aide said Democrats also are concerned the GOP plan would allow school districts to spend too much money in areas besides the hiring of new teachers. In addition, the two sides remain far apart on whether to require health insurance plans for federal workers to pay for contraceptives. Republicans are pushing a moral and religious exemption, Democrats said, while contending that the Democrats are willing to accept the religious exemption. "We're told the language is full of loopholes," Fazio said.
The census also remains a sticky subject. In an effort to get around the sampling question, some negotiators are circulating a plan that would simply fund the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill for five or six months--in the hope the Supreme Court will decide the sampling issue by then. "There are not many appropriators in favor of that," the Democratic aide said. House Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said simply, "I think it's insane."
White House Chief of Staff Bowles met privately Tuesday with Gephardt to discuss education and funding language related to environmental protection, and was back on Capitol Hill this afternoon to confer with GOP leaders. Treasury Secretary Rubin and House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Sonny Callahan, R-Ala., both indicated a deal was near on International Monetary Fund funding. "Everything's on track," Callahan told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
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