2- The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 24, 1994 Clinton's press conference to focus on scandals, successes THE WASHINGTON POST WASHINGTON -- With White House officials under continuing fire yesterday over Whitewater, permanent security passes and back taxes for a nanny, President Clinton scheduled a news conference for tonight to deal with these issues and to trumpet what an aide called administration "accom- plishments" so far this year. Clinton expects questions on the Whitewater affairduring the 7:30p.m. EST event - only the second night- time news conference of his presidency - but will make only "limited" com- ments on matters under investigation by Justice Department special counsel Robert Fiske, presidential spokesper- son Dee Dee Myers said. ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN will POLICY Continued from page 1 Book," a product of the Task Force on Alcohol and Other Drugs established by Duderstadt 2 1/2 years ago. There is also a section in the pro- posed policy that advices student groups to create their own drinking guidelines. "Every unit in the University can tailorapolicy fortheiruses.In that way it's a very efficient way of making that information get out as best as pos- sible," Wagner said. Wagner said the policy aims to educate groups about their legal liability when they serve alcohol - not to sanction groups. "This is an educational tool. It's not that the University is trying to hunt anybody down or stop their so- cial life," Wagner said. carry live TV coverage of the news conference. Other questions may concern yesterday's reassignment of Associate White House Counsel William Kennedy, who had been responsible for vetting the background ofpresiden- tial appointees and for supervising the issuance of White House passes. A statement issued by White House chief of staff Thomas McLarty and Counsel Lloyd Cutler said the reas- signment to "other duties within the counsel's office" was at Kennedy's request. Earlier this week Kennedy acknowl- edged for the first time that he was late in paying Social Security taxes for an Arkansas child-care worker. Like first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Webster Hubbell, who recently re- signed as associate attorney general, Kennedy was apartnerin Little Rock's Rose Law Firm,where he earned $578,000 in 1992. Under his wife's previous married name, Kennedy paid $1;352 in 1992 Social Security taxes for the part-time worker early last year, shortly before coming to the White House during the uproar involving attorney general can- didates Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood. Three weeks ago, amid a bitter di- vorce proceeding, Kennedy paid about $800 in back Social Security taxes for 1991. He has said he didn't pay sooner because he had no records of the worker's earnings for that year. Myers said Kennedy made "an honest mis- take." House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) yesterday demanded that Kennedy resign "for the public good and the White House good." Myers said Kennedy has no intention of resigning. Another official said Kennedy's duties could be shifted out of ethics areas. In another Republican strike, House Republican Conference Chair Dick Armey (R-Texas) called for the depar- ture of Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman. Altman, whose resig- nation as acting head of the Resolution Trust Corp. takes effect March 30, told the Senate Feb.24 that he had briefed senior White House officials early that month on an RTC investigation that touched on Arkansas business deal- ings of the Clintons. Since then, Altman has amended his testimony four times to list addi- tional contacts with White House offi- cials whom Republicans suspect may have tried to interfere with the investi- gation. The White House denies any interference with the inquiry, now in Fiske's hands. Meanwhile, the White House pro- cess of checking employees' back- grounds remained in some apparent disorder. Myers said that about a third of the 1,044 employees - herself in- cluded - still have not qualified for permanent government passes, though all now have completed the paperwork needed to trigger an FBI check. Ten percent, including "maybe a handful" of senior aides, have not yet been granted security clearances to deal with classified information, Myers said. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) has made acongressional issue out of the delays, suggesting they arise from individuals' desires to hide potential legal prob- lems. White House officials deny that, blaming procrastination and a heavy FBI backlog instead. As Congress prepares for its Easter recess, Clinton intends to employ tonight's approximately 30-minute news conference for a broad look at "administration accomplishments" in the first quarterof 1994, Myers said. The president is scheduled to meet on health care reform with selected mem- bers ofCongress on Capitol Hill Thurs- day, and he leaves tomorrow for his half-brother Roger's wedding in Dal- las and a California vacation. Dems' shift from Clinton signals growing unease Congressional subcommittee passes Stark's Clinton-like health care plan LOS ANGELES TMES WASHINGTON - The move by congressional Democrats toward hearings on Whitewater reflects grow- ing dissatisfaction with White House management of the controversy and rising desire among many Democrats to distance themselves from Presi- dent Clinton on the issue, legislators and party political consultants said to some*extent, the drive for hearings demonstrates that senior legislative Democrats believed Republicans were making gains in their argument that Congress was joining with the White House to stonewall legitimate inquiry. Legislative and White House offi- cials agree that the decision also illu- minates a longstanding unwillingn.ss among many congressional Demo- crats to bind their fates too closely to Clinton's. "I don't think it does a lot of good necessarily to be a Friend of Bill in some of these districts," said one lead- ing House moderate. Democrats on Capitol Hill say they have yet to see anything that belies the president's claim that he has not done anything wrong. But the decision to accept hear- ings illustrated their growing belief that the White House compounded its problems by resisting each new step toward disclosure - from release of documents relating to the original Whitewater investment, to appoint- ment of a special prosecutor, to con- gressional hearings. "It is clear that the political strat- egy in the White House was not suc- ceeding, that the story had legs of its own, and it was counterproductive to try and delay," said the House moder- ate. "Theirs was a naive approach." Read the Daily. THE WASHINGTON POST WASHINGTON-Congress took its first baby steps toward an overhaul of the health care system yesterday when a House subcommittee approved a scaled-down version of the Clinton plan that would guarantee insurance coverage to all Americans. By a 6-5 vote, the Ways and Means health subcommittee agreed to a plan centered around the creation of a new Medicare program that would provide health coverage for the poor, the unem- ployed and workers from small com- panies that do not offer group health insurance. Like the president's proposal, it would require all employers to con- tribute to workers' health insurance, and it would limit increases in health spending. The plan, drafted by subcommit- tee Chair Fortney "Pete" Stark (D- Calif.) departs from the president's proposal in rejecting his mandatory purchasing cooperatives, called alli- ances. The committee voted to increase federal cigarette taxes by $1.25 a pack, up from the 75 cents proposed by Clinton and the current 24 cents apack. It also voted to impose a 1 percent payroll tax on all companies with more than 1,000 employes that chose to self- insure rather than purchase traditional premium-based health insurance. There were some tense moments yesterday when it appeared Stark did not have the votes he needed to bring his proposal out of committee. That would be a major blow to the Clinton- like plan. Holding up an accord was the re- fusal of Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) to vote for a bill that included a 0.8 percent payroll tax. Levin and Stark spoke through the afternoon and settled on the corporate payroll tax and a 200 percent co-payment for home health services under Medicare. In what could be a blow to some states, Stark's bill proposes a 5 per- cent increase in Medicaid payments states would have to make to the fed- House leaders elect Wisconsin Democrat interim chair of Appropriations Committee Selection of younger lawmaker signals new generation's arrival to power WASHINGTON (AP)-Passing over a lawmaker with more seniority, House Democrats yesterday elected an outspoken liberal activist, Rep. $ PAONLY $12.501 FRIDAY MARCH25MICHIGAN T HEAT ER MCMigaKs f LMet Comic Convenmn MOTOR CITY COMIC CON Mu'ch 25,21,189 Fimy2-am,39 IOWA Muin, i -m David R. Obey (D-Wis.), to be acting chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee. The choice of Obey, 55, over 74- year-old Rep. Neal Smith (D-Ia.) by a vote of 152-106 represents the rise of a new generation of leadership on a tradition-bound panel that has been presided over by octogenerians in re- cent years. Obey's supporters said they be- lieve he will be more aggressive in dealing with Republicans, while Smith's backers argued that he de- served the post because of his years on the panel. Obey will take over in the absence of Chair William H. Natcher of Ken- tucky, 84, who has been hospitalized for most of the past month for treat- ment of a congestive heart ailment. If, as expected, Natcher does not resume his duties again this year, Obey would be an odds-on favorite to succeed him in one of the most influential jobs in Congress. Obey declined to discuss policy issues yesterday, but House sources familiar with his views said he would work to reduce funds allocated to the Pentagon and defense procurement and channel more resources to job training and economic development. This would pit him and his allies against Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), chair of the panel's defense subcom- mittee, who often is regarded as the chief advocate for the armed forces in, the House. The 61-year-old Murtha was re- ported to be interested in becoming chair of the full Appropriations panel himself some day. He was a strong supporter of Smith during the month- long intra-party debate over who would replace Natcher on a tempo- rary basis. Obey, who is two notches lower on the seniority ladder than Smith, has won respect from both sides of the aisle for managing the foreign aid appropriations bill, one of the most contentious measures taken up in the House each year. The tart-tongued Obey also is expected to be a point man for the Democrats in opposing House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who is in line to become the Republican leader in the next Con- gress. Smith, who hasplayed an insider's9 role for most of his 35 years in the House, said the lopsided outcome apparently reflected the wishes of a younger and more diverse Democratic caucus. About half of the Democrats in the chamber have been elected since the 1988 election. 17 Columlia CAT Zeview SEETHE HERO RIDSUShAIBKIONK GING MMYI UPER TURK O GIVEAWAYS .ONT1513 00010 GAE COMMIIWS -WW oGAMES RIM V SII20a(WAES, INU.UDI Sl" A COIADE. flICIUOW AR£11, VIROM GAlS £It W MAY OM R 25S SOMEFElET F NMI " MIS pPRESOITATIOMS IT: Wae, KTAWWa twu9-"s km cpn ix=S. ~x1RC{CYIs. -Al utCoMTs i~ snt " GM ARINTY NK11OM " im ow n mom in " COTMiicE CT IWtATUSTI ngeMW~ " AMATWN RWIYMA emmr m ow *eu piw " HEARtPREVIEWI " O rA M S$S " twsO POO " MEET CYQlOM - mnuw can~ " iUU31 PUHIROM ROMISE OVE200 GUEM Howord aeyki. Stew"e.LGr..t Rick Leona"d Vh" c e Wlar.Mess. Lo.bs Auro. Lepresti Shedon Moldoff JmO'Barr AMhnOstrader WOW Jim PdbiotI W"OK George Pero: , fBrndo. Peterson Joe MaNps Joe eado Joh. Remit. 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CLASSES BEGIN- NOV EXPOCNTR ii 4M EeCW k, W, ""9t g I11 Ekd i g :13 The Micnigan Daily (ISS~N0745-67) is publisned Monday througn Friday during tne fland iawitr terms b y students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $90. Winter term (January through April) is $95, year-long (September through April) is $160. On-campus subscrip- tions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and the Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. PHONE NUMBERS (All area code 313): News 76-DAILY; Arts 763-0379; Sports 747-3336; Opinion 764-0552 Circulation 7640558; Classified advertising 7640557; Display advertising 7640554; Billing 7640550. Dinersty "If you can't get to Chinatown, Dinersty brings Chinatown to you" What is in the Dinersty Dictionary - authentic, economic, innovative, quality, efficient, self service dining, party catering, party room, daily specials, great choices.... What is new in the Dinersty Dictionary - BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY, WEDDING, DESSERT, CAKE. Introducing exquisite home made cakes from Dinersty: Strawberry Layered Cake (10 inch) Whole $12 or or ..... - . . Mocha Cake (10 inch) Whole $16 EDITORIAL .sse aladyEdto6 i Cie NEWS David Shepardson, Managing Editor EDITORS: Nate Hurley, Mona Qureshi, Karen Sabgir, Karen Talaski. STAFF: Robin Barry, Hope Calati, James R. Cho, Lashawnda Crowe, Rebecca Detken, Lisa Dines. Sanm T. Dudek, Ronnie Glassberg. Michele Hatty, Katie Hutchins. Michelle Joyce, Judith Kafka. Maria Kovac. Andrea MacAdam. Patricia Montgomery James M. Nash. Zachary M. 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