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Jewish Groups Fear
Balanced Budget Bill
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
S
ix months ago, it was
one of those perennial
proposals that nobody
on Capitol Hill takes very
seriously — a chance for a
good sound bites, without
any serious risk of passage.
But today, with resentful
voters threatening a
wholesale Capitol Hill house
cleaning, legislators have
gotten serious about passing
a constitutional amendment
requiring a balanced federal
budget.
The measure is expected to
come to the floor in both
houses in a matter of days.
Early indications suggest
that backers are already
very close to the two-thirds
majorities needed to send
the measure to the states for
quick ratification. Is it good
policy?
For most Jewish groups,
the answer is a worried
"no."
The amendment, they
argue, will wreak havoc in
an economy already hobbled
by two years of recession,
and add significantly to the
economic inequities that
threaten America's social
fabric.
"There would be huge
cuts," said Diana Aviv, asso-
ciate executive vice chair of
the National Jewish Com-
munity Relations Advisory
Council (NJCRAC).
This week, NJCRAC con:,
vened a meeting of Jewish
groups to discuss strategies ,
for defeating the amend-
ment. "We would probably
see caps on Medicare and
Medicaid, cuts in aid to`-
cities, cuts in refugee pro-
grams. It's an absolutely
devastating amendment for
the Jewish community," she
said.
The mandatory balanced
budget, she maintained:;
would also deny government
the tools it needs to respond
to economic crises. A rigidc,
balanced budget amendment -
For most Jewish
groups, the answer
is a worried "no:'
will also be a major blow to
Jewish Federations whose
resources have been strained'
by the growing demand for
services and shrinking
government support. And
the measure would jeopar-
dize Israel's $3.2 billion an
nual foreign aid allotment.
"If huge budget cuts are
mandated, foreign aid will
be one of the first things'
looked at," said one prom!-
nent pro-Israel lobbyiSt.
"For the pro-Israel commun-
ity, this amendment looks
like a disaster. Opposing it
will be politically risky, but
if it passes, foreign aid will:
be highly vulnerable."
;
Would-Be Successors
To Cardin Lining Up
The presidential race isn't
the only election attracting
the attention of JeWish ac-
tivists around the country.
In December, the Con-
ference of Presidents of
Major American Jewish
Organizations will elect a
new chair to replace
Shoshana Cardin, who is re-
quired to step down at the
end of her second one-year
term.
Increasingly, the chair of
the Presidents Conference is
regarded by the media and
by many government offi-
cials as the closest thing the
Jewish community has to an
official spokesperson. With
U.S.-Israeli relations on an
uneven course and Middle
East peace negotiations lur-
ching along, Mrs. Cardin has
become something of a fix-
ture on national news pro-
grams.
According to Washington`
sources, several prominent,
leaders are interested in the
position — including Al'\
Moses, president of the
American Jewish Corn-
mittee; Robert K. Lifton,
president of the American=-
Jewish Congress and Lester
Pollack, president of the
Jewish Community Centers
Association of North
America.
Some Jewish activists are (
also urging Maynard'
Wishner, chairman of the-
National Jewish Commun-
ity Relations Advisory ,
Council, to throw his hat in
the ring.
Of course, it is considered`
unseemly for Jewish leaders
to publicly campaign for the
job — although in the past,
behind-the-scenes campaign-
ing has been hot and heavy.
: