NWednesday, September 6, 2000 - The Michigan Daily - 9A GOP worries Clinton will provoke budget standoff WASHINGTON (AP) B Bothered by the election-season leverage wielded by President Clinton, Republican leaders expressed worry vesterday that Democrats will try to provoke a year-end budget standoff as Congress rushes to finish its annual spending work. "I'm concerned the White House wants to cre- ate a mess at the end of the session for political purposes, Senate Majority Leader' Trent Lott (R-Miss.) told reporters as lawmakers filtered back to the Capitol after their August recess. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and other Republicans said they would not let such brinksmanship escalate into a federal shutdown, such as two ;hat wounded the GOP in 1995 and 1996. Even so, Republicans said they believe Democrats will try to grind Congress' work to a crawl to minimize GOP accomplish- ments. highlight Democratic demands for gun safety and other popular issues and keep Republicans from going home to campaign for re-election. John Podesta, the White House chief of staff, said "we have no interest" in forcing a closure of federal agencies just before the elections. Indeed, with close races for control of the White House and House and an outside shot at winning a Senate majority, Democrats must be careful to not press their hand too far and risk a public backlash. With the election so near, "I don't think either side is going to want to rock the boat" with a budget standoff, Senate Appropriations Commit- tee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said. But with just two of the 13 spending bills necessary for the coming fiscal year siigned into law -- covering most defense accounts - Clinton and Democrats are saying little to ease the worries of many Republicans. With fiscal 2001 beginning Oct. 1, both sides know the GOP will have to yield to most of Clinton's demands for billions in extra domestic and foreign aid spending before remaining bills can be signed and law- makers can return to their districts. The two sides also have numerous policy differences, such as how to spend extra education dollars that will be provided. "We are committed to breaking the legisla- tive logjam," Clinton said after discussing legislative strategy at the White House with Democratic leaders yesterday morning. "But we have to move forward with fiscal respon- sibility, with responsible tax cuts and with public investments that give all our people a chance and fuel our prosperity." While Clinton's comments generally underlined what Democrats' demands would S.D.) was more succinct about their strategy. "We're not going anywhere until we're sat- isfied," Daschle told reporters. The I I incomplete bills cover the budgets of 13 Cabinet level agencies from the Agriculture Department to Veterans' Affairs, plus spend- ing for Congress, the courts and foreign aid. Though spending legislation will be Con- gress' chief focus in its remaining five sched- uled weeks, lawmakers also will devote time to other items. These include some measures that have virtually no chance of becoming law but will allow one party or the other to make political statements in time for the presidential and congressional elections, now just nine weeks off. The House plans to vote tomorrow to over- ride Clinton's veto of a bill phasing out estate taxes. That effort and one next week against Clinton's veto of a bill cutting taxes for many married couples are virtually sure to fail but will let Republicans argue that taxes would go down with a Republican in the White House. Republicans hope, however, to pass tax bills this year expanding the amounts people can contribute to IRAs and 401(k) plans, repealing the 3 percent telephone excise tax and providing S6 billion in tax breaks over five years to spur investment in poor urban and rural areas. They also hope for small business tax breaks that they have attached to a bill designed to meet Clinton's demand to boost the S5.15-an-hour minimum wage by Sl hourly by Jan. 1, 2002. Meanwhile, Daschle said Democrats will continue trying to force votes on issues they want to spotlight for the elections, such as increased richts for managed-care patients, gun safety and the minimum wage. be, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D- Senate moves toward vote on China trade relations WASHINGTON (AP) - China trade was the first order. of business yesterday as the Senate returned from its sum- mer recess with leaders of both parties determined to approve the normalization of trade relations before law- makers close shop to campaign before the November elec- tions. Passing the bill this year is "profoundly important for the countrv," said Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). a leading advo- cate of widening trade with China. While supporters believe they have a solid majority in the Senate, they face two real dangers - time limitations as Congress rushes to finish its work for the year and the determination of some senators to link normalized trade to China's weapons proliferation and human rights record. The [louse approved the China trade bill last May on a 237-197 vote, and the concern is that any Senate amend- ments to that bill would effectively kill it for the year because there wouldn't be time for the two chambers to work out differences between the measures. "Bluntly, a vote to amend is a vote to kill this bill and, with it, any chance that U.S. workers, farmers and busi- nesses will benefit from China's accession to the World Trade Organization," Sen. William Roth (R-Del.) said as the Senate began debate on the measure. Roth is chairman of the Finance Committee. China's trade status has been subject to annual review under a 1974 act governing trade with communist states. The legislation to make normal trade relations permanent comes after China last year, as part of its effort to join the WTO, reached an agreement with U.S. negotiators on low- ering its tariffs and removing trade barriers. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said he hoped to reach a final vote on the trade'bill by the end of next week. The biggest fight is likely to be over an expected amend- ment by Sens. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) and Robert Torri- celli (D-N.J.) that would urge the president to apply sanctions against China and others contributing to weapons proliferation. Thompson has rewritten his measure to give the presi- dent more latitude, in applying sanctions, but both the administration and American business groups still oppose it, saying China would merely turn to European and Japan- ese sellers. AP PHOTO Commission of Presidential Debates technical operations director Jeff Kulliver shows plans to reporters and producers for the first of the three 90-minute, nationally televised debates, which is scheduled to be at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, during a walk-through yesterday. Texas Gov. George W. Bush has said he won't appear at the Boston debate. Candidates, networks spar B READ THE DAILY.. DAILY. 1 ea wers/op over nval NEW YORK (AP) - Instead of agreeing to three 90-minute, nation- ally televised debates in October, as proposed by the Commission oil Presidential Debates, Texas Gov. George W Bush has said he would participate in one of those debates and two others suggested by NBC and CNN. One would match the two con- tenders in a prime-time version of NBC's Sunday morning talk show. "Meet the Press" moderated by Tim Russert. The other would be an edi- tion of Larry King's talk show on CNN. The Gore campaign has said it will not agree to Bush's plan unless Bush also commits to all three com- mission debates with their potential- ly wide viewership Executives at ABC and CBS said yesterday they would not broadcast debates organized by rival networks CNN and NBC. as proposed by Bush. debate proposals "We will not carry another net- Gore and George Bush campaigns.' work's programming . said Paul he said. "I think now that CNN and Friedman, executive vice president of NBC are in danger of that." ABC News. "We're not in the busi- Bill Wheatley, vice president of ness of carrving the efforts ofanother NBC News, said he didn't feel the network. where we have no control network was being used, Ihe noted over the format or the questions that both the Bush1 and Glore cam- asked" paigns had urged NBC' to air a prime- CBS. which has proposed a debate time edition of 'Meet the Press" and for its Sunday morning show, "Face that other networks have tried to book the Nation," also would not carry a the candidates, too. "They themselves "Meet the Press" or Larry King were vying for debates," he said. "I debate, spokeswoman Sandy can only assume that they were com- Genelius said. . fortable with that sort of thing." "It's their talk show, why would we ('NN aired 12 debates during the put it on our air?" she said. "It would primarv season and will telecast any boil down to incredible promotion for Bush-Gore debate that is made avail- a competitor's broadcast." able to the network. spokeswoman ABC has also invited Gore and Sue BinfOrd said Bush fora debate. The presidential debate commis- Friedman said the squabble was sion proposed the three debates to be "all part of the game" and Bush held on college campuses in Boston, apparently was proposing debate for- Winston-Salem, N.C., and St. Louis. mats that he was most comfortable Gore has agreed to participate in with. "Our job is to try not to get those debates, Bush incorporated the involved in being used by the Al St. Louis debate into his proposal. S y F . T34-662-5616 203 E. Liberty Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 7 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 7 34-662-5616 I 3100 Washtenaw Ypsilanti 215 N. Maple Ann Arbor RIIUUahI0 i& 9 bag o'l Potato ChilDs l ®6z, Pepsi 00 Student Desk Skeg.$25.99 Prices Offetec 8/27o919120 i i Aquaina Water 6 pack $1.90 5 lll $18.99 24 Pack I 214 ack Mountain Dew $4.99 Tostitos 14.5 oz. Bag 4 Reg. $3.29 2 Bags for $5.00 i Rectangular Door Mirror 14"x50" Reg. $5.99 UAU m a% a 3 Shelf Student Bookcase m m ....s