1. Congress and the President are still arguing about the spending bills. Is this an instant replay, or were we here last week?

–Try instant replay times 5. We’re into the 5^th week of temporary extensions on the new fiscal year budget, and now they’re passing 24-hour extensions one day at a time.

–Last week it looked like both the top Republican leader in Congress and the President wanted to wrap it up.

–And, in the wee hours of Monday morning of this week, the President and Republican negotiators congratulated each other on a budget deal for education spending that was to set stage for the President’s approval of other final spending bills.

–Then, only hours later, House Republican leaders Hastert and Delay nixed the deal, and hours after that the President pulled out his veto pin, leaving relations between him and Congressional Republican leadership in shambles, and even had GOP negotiators angered with their own leadership.

–Ironically on Halloween, it was a bitter trick for the President, and a bittersweet treat for some GOP leaders.

–7 of the 13 spending bills have been signed into law by the President, 5 more have gone to the President and have been or will be vetoed, and one is still in Congress.

2. How did it get to this point? Surely Congress didn’t just stumble into this positon.

–Evidently, it is part of a campaign strategy of confrontation that House GOP Whip Tom Delay (TX) has been promoting for some time; in effect, he’s said: "don’t even think about compromise; instead, push for delay (no pun intended) and vetoes."

–The payoff for Republicans is it allows Bush and some Congressional Republicans to then say that this Democratic Administration doesn’t have the leadership ability to get things done.

–Of course, it hasn’t helped matters that Clinton wanted to end his term in a blaze of glory with several of his pet programs.

–Now, unless something gives in the next few days, we’re looking at a lame duck session after the election. The question then will be whether pride on both sides will force a government shut down before Clinton leaves office.

–So, we’ll hear in the days remaining to the election that the Republicans caved into big business interests and don’t know how to govern, or that Democrats were pandering to special interests like labor and education and the President can’t lead, and that neither side can be trusted.

–Voters need to have a "truth in labeling law for political rhetoric and legislative proposals.

–Then again, we could wake up tomorrow and find both sides were just playing at brinkmanship, they bury the hatchet and actually reach compromise. What a way to run a country!

3. Fortunately for farmers, the ag spending bill made it through before this latest blow up.

–That’s right. The $80 billion agricultural appropriations bill that finally cleared Congress a few weeks ago was signed by Clinton this past weekend.

–Producers could be happy about this, but they are not well served with the political games coming out of Washington.

–The legislation signed by Clinton funds USDA and related agencies, as well as providing more emergency assistance to producers affected by adverse weather and fires.

4. Less than a week to go until the election of a new president and other elected representatives. We’ve looked at how the major candidates view several issues. What can we say about the twin issues of the environment and energy?

–It’s no secret there are significant differences in the records and views of Bush and Gore with respect to the environment and energy.

–Both have significant experience in these areas, as well.

–Bush and Cheney have worked in the oil business, while Gore wrote one of the key pro-environment books of the 1990s (Earth in the Balance) and both he and Lieberman have devoted much time in Congress to environmental and energy issues.

5. Let’s break it down then. Where does Bush stand on these issues?

–Bush wants to move away from the "mandate, regulate and litigate" federal role to returning much of the authority to state and local governments and seek market-based incentives to meet environmental standards through new technology.

–Specifically, his proposals include:

(1) Clean up brownfields.

(2) Promote conservation of land and wildlife.

(3) Direct federal environmental compliance.

(4) He’s against the Kyoto Agreement on Global Warming, but he will support further study of the issue.

(5) Supports the moratorium on off shore drilling, but would provide incentives for new domestic drilling and exploration.

(6) Oppose breaching dams in the Pacific Northwest to save the salmon.

(7) Supports new standards to reduce auto pollution.

(8) Sees urban sprawl as a state and local issue.

6. How do his views compare to Gore?

–Gore supports federal intervention to enforce regulation and provide market-based incentives to protect the environment.

–He sees the argument of environment vs. the economy as a false excuse, instead suggesting the US can profit from environmental technology leadership in the marketplace.

–Gore also has several proposals:

(1) Protecting children and families by enforcing clean air, drinking water and safe food regulations.

(2) Protecting the environment while creating jobs with public-private partnerships for

–fuel efficiency,

–reduced auto pollution,

–tourism and recreation.

(3) Curtailing global warming with

–energy security and environmental trust fund

–ratifying the Kyoto Agreement

–promoting new standards

–protecting the ozone layer

(4) Preserving public lands

–funding for national parks and open spaces

–refuse exploitation of national resources for oil and other exploitation

–protecting old growth forests

(5) Promoting smart growth and livable communities

–clean up brownfields

–promote light rail and other public transit systems

(6) Promoting conservation and "environmentally-sound agricultural practices"

–conservation plans that include practices like carbon sequestration

–CRP

–estate tax deduction for "green" transfers to public

(7)Support and expand the moratorium on off shore drilling.

(8) Consider environmental protection when negotiating the WTO.

7. And where are their weaknesses? Let’s look at Gore first.

–Bush and other critics of Gore would say that his regulation promotion to protect the environment is anti-business and harms the economy, especially at some local areas.

–Bush and others are especially critical of Gore’s policies and ideas from his book that could drive up the cost of autos, petroleum, and agricultural practices.

–They are also critical about the lack of real progress in environmental protection during the past 8 years.

8. And what about Bush?

–On the other hand, Gore and critics of Bush wonder how 2 people from the oil business could possibly be objective about policing the oil industry.

–They are also critical of Bush because Texas is among the worst states in terms of air and water pollution.

–Also, they are critical about the pro-business stance of many of Bush’s proposals, likening them to putting the fox in the hen house.

–They are also critical about the Bush proposals to dilute federal jurisdiction by giving power back to the state and local governments, saying this could effectively dismantle national standards.

9. Congress

a. Recent/Current:

–Few House and Senate sessions on continuing resolutions.

–Few committee meetings to wrap up business

b. Upcoming:

–Primary focus is to complete action on all appropriations bills & close 106^th Session.

c. The budget process & deadlines:

--The President highlighted his budget proposal at the State of the Union Address 27 Jan.

--Feb: House & Senate Budget Committees held hearings w/experts & CBO.

--Mar: Budget Committees draft budget resolution.

--1 Apr: Budget Committees report resolution.

--15 Apr: Budget resolution adopted by Congress.

--15 May: Appropriations bills considered by House.

--10 Jun: House Appropriations Committee reports last bill.

--30 Jun: House completes action on appropriations bills.

--1 Oct: new fiscal year begins; new continuing resolutions as necessary to keep the Federal government in business.

--6 Oct: target adjournment; continuing resolutions suggest delayed adjournment.

d. Congress reconvened 24 Jan with 131 weekdays scheduled until 6 Oct target adjournment. As of 25 Oct, there is 1 day remaining in this session.

Senate Scheduled in session (remaining):

Oct 26 latest continuing resolution proposed

House Schedule:

Oct 26 latest continuing resolution proposed

e. Other key issues for this session of 106^th Congress:

--dealing w/Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.

--consideration of tax cut & appropriations bills

--Endangered Species Act revision

--consideration of Kyoto global warming agreement

--oversight of WTO Millennium Round (when restarted) & agreement to continue as member in WTO

--consider revision of Food Quality Protection Act