DeLay: No omnibus spending bill, no deal with Clinton

DeLay: No Omnibus Spending Bill, Summit With Clinton House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, Tuesday ruled out a summit meeting with President Clinton to negotiate a solution to any budget impasse that might occur following the president's expected veto of GOP spending bills.

"Last year was a horrendous mistake of sitting down with the president in a summit situation," said DeLay in remarks to a panel of radio talk show hosts at the Heritage Foundation. "He's trying to push us there right now. We're not going there."

DeLay told reporters later he was responding to signals Clinton was sending when he told reporters Monday he wanted Republicans to work with him to resolve budget issues. "That's called a summit," said DeLay. "We're not interested in a summit."

DeLay also ruled out another omnibus appropriations bill that would wrap together several spending measures for this year.

"Both Senate and House leaders have agreed that there will not be an omnibus bill, that if he vetoes an appropriations bill, we'll negotiate that bill," DeLay said.

He repeated the GOP leadership refrain that, "We are not going to spend a dime of the Social Security surplus," and said if Clinton wants more spending, he will have to find ways to pay for it.

DeLay also said Clinton is "waiting until we pass the bills before he makes a statement on it ... He's not negotiating in good faith if all he says is we want more spending."

He also denied that the GOP posture would lead to a shutdown of the federal government. "We don't shut down. The president shuts down," he said.