NATION/WORLD
Friday, October 22, 1993
5
Senate backs Clinton over troop deployment powers
Dole helps draft compromise calling for Congress' OK
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — In a triumph for President Clinton, the Senate refused yesterday to limit his ability as commander in chief to commit troops to Haiti.
In a pair of votes, the Senate endorsed a compromise that says Clinton should seek approval from lawmakers before committing troops to Haiti, but is not required to do so.
The proposal was worked out during three days of discussions between the White House and Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole as the administration fended off yet another challenge to its foreign policy-making.
Senators first voted 81-19 to reject a provision by Sen. Jesse Helms, R.N.C., who launched a scathing attack again yesterday on Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the ousted leader whose return to power under international guarantees has been blocked by military and police leaders.
Then, the Senate voted 98-2 to enact the non-binding provision that says Clinton should seek approval from lawmakers before sending troops to Haiti. Sens. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., and Mark Haffield, R-Ore., cast the dissenting votes.
Helms proposed stripping Clinton of the right to commit troops unless their presence was needed to evacuate Americans or unless Congress provided specific approval.
The series of votes was the climax of a remarkable stretch in which Clinton was forced to negotiate with Democratic and Republican critics of his policies in Somalia, Bosnia and Haiti.
"This is a precedent-setting vote," Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell said in urging rejection of Helms's proposal.
"There has never been enacted into law a funding prohibition on the
deployment of U.S. forces to a particular geographic area overseas."
The White House applauded the agreement with Dole, worked out after a three-dav stalemate.
"The president was not willing to concede any of his authority. He drew the line," Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers said.
The resolution, sponsored by Dole, R-Kan., and Mitchell, D-Maine, expresses the opinion of Congress but is not legally binding.
A week after backing Clinton on Somalia, Dole had threatened a measure similar to Helms', arguing it is in the president's interest to have prior congressional approval.
Following days of talks with the White House, Dole modified the measure to reflect Congress' resolution that said funds for troops in Haiti should be barred unless the House and Senate approve, Americans must be evacuated or a deployment is in the national interest and there is insufficient time for congressional authorization.
Abuse of Pell grants discovered
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Education Department has discovered more than 4,000 cases in which students got Pell grants for 11 years or longer. In one case, a student got federal money for 19 years, Senate investigators said.
The department came across the long-term tuition subsidies for 4,095 students when it examined its files to answer a series of questions posed by Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., in a probe by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
The disclosure came as Nunn announced hearings for Wednesday and Thursday on problems in the program, the government's largest cash aid plan for students in post-secondary education.
Some 3.8 million of America's neediest students received an average of $1,763 each last year in Pell grants at 6,300 eligible schools.
David Longanecker, assistant secretary for post-secondary education, said it was not illegal for Pell grants to be extended well beyond the normal four-year span of an
undergraduate college education. Federal policy on how long students can receive the grants has changed several times over the years, he said.
But Nunn made it clear that he believes that the program is out of control.
"These programs, like too many other mechanisms for federal funding, are still being abused and defrauded by some participants," he said.
Numn said that his investigators discovered schools that exist only to milk the program for federal subsidies.
Other schools pay students apparent kickbacks to attend classes and let their names be used on grant applications. And still others routinely falsify records to win grants for ineligible students, Nunn said.
On Monday, the department mailed notices informing 21 orthodox Jewish schools, all but one in the New York City area, that they were being barred from Pell grants and other federal student aid programs because their programs did not provide training aimed at job goals.
Longaneker said the Jewish academies were trying to "rip off" taxpayers to finance their operations.
A dozen or more other schools that also offer programs in Judaic studies are under investigation by the department and more enforcement actions may follow, he said.
TONIGHT
THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY B.S.U.
PRESENTS
THE MUST SEE PLAY
COLOR DOESN'T MATTER
At the Lied Center University of Kansas
FRIDAY • OCTOBER 22 • 8:00 PM TICKETS: $8 GENERAL ADMISSION $5 STUDENTS
including Hy-Vee, Sound Warehouse, Gomers and all Ticket Centers.
CHARGE-BY-PHONE: (816) 931-3330
Tickets subject to convenience charge.
To charge tickets by phone using MasterCard or Visa call toll free 1-800-454-7019; in Lawrence 864-ARTS; or call any Ticketmaster outlet including Hy-Vee and Sound Warehouse (816) 931-3330 or (913)234-4545.
A Haunted House
October 22,
23, 29, 30 & 31
7pm to 11pm
Douglas County
Fairgrounds
$6.00 Single Admission, 18.60 Family Admission
Family Admission: two adults and three children under twelve
Presented by the Community Museum and
Laurence Parks and Recreation
Buying or building a home is a big decision. There are numerous steps and decisions to make along the way and that's why we'd like to help.
Join us for our Home Financing Workshop, an overview of the home financing process, on Tuesday, October 26th at 7:30 PM at the Holiday Inn Holidome. Topics such as new purchases, refinancing, the appraisal process and legal aspects will be discussed. The panel of speakers includes a realtor, an appraiser, an abstractor and Credit Union lending personnel.
Seating is limited. Make plans now to attend this workshop, before you purchase your next new home.
Call 832-8972 for reservations
Tonight Pleasure (Ex-members of Trip Shakespeare) Love Squad
Saturday, 23rd Nic Cosmos Big Fish Ensemble
Sunday, 24th Seam Zoom Panel Donor 18 & Over
Monday, 25th Meat Puppets Sunday Drive 18 & Over Only$5
NEED CASH
CHOOSING COMMUNITY IN A FRAGMENTED WORLD Panel Presentation-Discussion
Sunday, Oct. 24. 7:00 pm at ECM Center
What is "community"? Panel members who have recently returned from a conference on Intentional Communities at The Evergreen State College will explore a number of practical ways to answer this question. They will speak on developing support groups, new forms of residence living, intentional living groups, intellectual salons, spiritual communities, neighborhood associations, and many more ways to make community a part of one's life.
PANEL MEMBERS (Mark Larson, Moderator)
Debra Altus Adjact Assist. Prof.of Human Development and Family Life at KU
Tim Miller Prof.of Religious Studies at KU
Erick Kilgreen Graduate Student in Clinical Psychology
Refreshments served after presentation, courtesy of Community Mercantile.