6A
NATION/WORLD
Wednesday, November 30, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
House approves GATT,288-146,sends to Senate
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The House brushed off critics who protested the legitimacy of a vote by a lame-duck Congress and passed a sweeping world trade agreement yesterday. Its passage marked a victory for President Clinton who hailed it as a historic vote for American workers, farmers and families.
The House voted 288-146 for the rewrite of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, sending the measure to the Senate, where supporters were still searching for the votes needed for passage.
The four hours of debate in the House were brought to a close by House Speaker Thomas Foley, who in his final speech in the chamber, urged his colleagues to pass the measure.
"It is impossible to imagine a single act of this Congress that can do more to contribute to our economic growth," said Foley, who has been a House member for 30 years.
Foley was defeated in the November elections in a Republican sweep that gave control of both the House and the Senate to the GOP for the first time in 40 years.
Foley was one of 85 House members who were either defeated or chose not to seek re-election participating in the first lame-duck session of Congress in 12 years, a fact that GATT opponents pointed too often during the debate.
The GATT accord would cut tariffs by 38 percent worldwide, expand the rules of world trade to new areas such as agriculture and services and create a new, more powerful World Trade Organization to referee disputes.
The administration estimated that the reduced tariffs equated to a $744 billion global tax cut over a decade. For Americans, it would represent a $70 billion cut in border taxes on
imported goods and services over 10 years.
Supporters said the trade agreement, which took seven years to negotiate, would mean lower prices for U.S. consumers on everything from computer chips to potato chips and would aid American companies and farmers by lowering the trade barriers they face overseas.
However, opponents charged that lowering U.S. barriers would mean America's factories would face even more competition from low-wage foreign workers. They also said that the new WTO represented an unprecedented infringement on
America's sovereignty.
The GATT debate marked the first time in 12 years and only the 10th time since 1940 that Congress has returned after the November elections to take up legislation.
The administration hoped for a large margin of victory in the House to provide momentum for the Senate.
In the Senate, supporters will need 60 votes tomorrow on a key procedural motion.
Senate Republican leader Bob Dole, who announced his support last week, said from Brussels, Belgium, that he believed the Senate would pass the deal in a close vote.
A sampling of comments from Democrats and Republicans as Congress reconvened yesterday with the GOP reading plans to take over both chambers:
"I've been busy checking out chalk outlines of fallen bodies." Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont.
"We have our opportunity to move legislation for the first time in 40 years. We are going to get to work." Rep. Dick Arney, R-Texas, unopposed for the post of House majority leader.
"We have let Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the radio talk show pundits outmaneuver us." Defeated Rep. Jack Brooks, D-Texas.
"It's very important for us to act quickly, create a good first impression that will give us some momentum to tackle tough issues later on." Sen.-elect Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
"If it puts me out, it put me in." Sen. Strom Thur mond, R-S.C., 40-year Senate veteran, on term limits.
Republicans rejoice; Democrats recoil
"Let me in when I come next time." Rep-elect Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., to a Capitol police officer studying his name tag.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The House floor rang with applause and giddy laughter yesterday as Republicans celebrated their rise to power. "I'd like to see this as the last hurrah of the Democratic majority for the next 40 years," Rep. Dick Armey said later with a smile.
Demoralized Democrats mourned their House and Senate losses with secondguessing, lashing out and gallows humor.
"Some of them are walking around like they're ... the Romanovs and this is November 1917," said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., referring to the imperial family toppled by the Russian Revolution.
At the White House, President Clinton continued a series of wake-like sessions for his battered compatriots. As they left they blamed their party's plight on radio and TV talk show Host Rush Limbaugh, GOP propaganda and poor salesmanship.
"I don't have to answer that question," Rep. Bill Ford. D-Mich. snapped when
asked how he would vote yesterday on the massive world trade agreement before the House. "I've been waiting 30 years to do that," the retiring lawmaker said as he walked away.
The electric Republican mood was tempered by serious business — voting on the trade pact in the House and organizing transitions in both chambers.
Senate Republican leaders roamed the Capitol hallways opening on the need to revive the Strategic Defense Initiative and pass a balanced budget amendment. Old hands granted incoming freshmen their request to put term limits on the Senate's front burner, though it exposed early fissures in the group.
"There seems to be an eliteness in attitude with someone who's been in office for a long period of time," said just-sworn-in Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., who served four terms in the House. Is Senate GOP Leader Bob Dole an elitist? "My experience comes from the House side," Inhofe answered with the polish of a pro.
The freshmen eagerly promoting term limits seem unlikely to impose caps on their own careers, however. Asked whether the limits would apply to sitting senators, Senelect John Ashcroft, R-Mo., hinted maybe not. He said states that have adopted term limits have applied them to future but not current officeholders.
Some returning Democrats maintained they were invigorated by their approaching minority status, relieved to abdicate as managers and become legislative entrepreneurs.
But behind closed doors, the mood was described as surly. "It's a little gloomy. It's very emotional," said Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas.
Leaders were accused of forcing tough votes that contributed to the defeat of vulnerable members. There was heated debate over where to go from here. "There are a couple of hundred midwives in there, all trying to give birth to a newly defined Democratic Party. So labor pains are imminent," said Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont.
Court to decide term limits in the House, Senate
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court, gingerly handling the politically explosive issue of term limits, seemed equally skeptical yesterday of arguments for and against state efforts to limit the time anyone serves in Congress.
"It's very close," Justice Antonin Scalia said in discussing his view of the constitutionality of House and Senate term limits, imposed in various forms since 1990 by 22 states.
None of Scalia's eight colleagues contradicted his assessment.
The court will take its initial, private vote in an Arkansas term-limits case Friday and announce its decision by late June.
No matter how the court may rule, Republicans in Congress plan to vote next year on a constitutional amendment to limit congressional terms.
"We now have at least 200 members on the House side who are really, strongly committed to limiting terms," Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., said after the high court's 90-minute argument session.
Butone Republican opponent of term limits, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said they weren't needed because it was pretty clear the voters were taking care of the problem.
OUTFITTERS Columbia
Garden Caup
740 MASSACHUSETTS * 843-3933 * OPEN EVENINGS AND SUNDAYS
SERENGETI.
DRIVERS
928 Mass. Downtown Park in the rear
Tickets on sale at the Lied Center Box Office (864-ARTS); Murphy Hall Box Office (864-3982); and any Ticketmaster outlet (816) 931-3330 or (912) 234-5454;
The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Lied Center Presents A Special Event
all seats reserved; public $12 and $10, KU, Haskell and K-12 students $6 and $5, senior
citizens and other students $11 and $9; KU student tickets available through the SUA office, Kansas Union; phone orders can be made using VISA or MasterCard.
IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT THE LIED CENTER!
Special thanks to this year's Very Important Partners: Kief's Audio and Video, Laird Noller Dealerships, Payless ShoeSource and W.T. Kemper Foundation, Commerce Bank Trustee.
INVENTORY REDUCTION SALE
While Quantities Last!!!