Copyright 1999 The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News
March 7, 1999, Sunday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS, Pg. 6A
LENGTH: 661 words
HEADLINE:
CLINTON, GOP PROMOTE CONFLICTING AGENDAS ON EDUCATION;
SOCIAL SECURITY
BYLINE: LAURENCE McQUILLAN; Reuters
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
BODY:
President Clinton and House Speaker Dennis Hastert promoted
conflicting agendas Saturday, with Clinton saying Republicans are limiting
debate on education, while Hastert said "common-sense goals" are needed on
Social Security reform and tax cuts.
Both men used radio addresses to
the nation to focus attention on the issues facing Congress and the White House,
with each promoting the virtues of their competing agendas.
Hastert
spoke of the need for Social Security reform and tax cuts. "By working together,
Republicans, Democrats and Independents . . . can achieve these common-sense
goals," he said.
Clinton, however, pointed to political maneuvers
involving a popular education bill in an attempt to highlight the divide that
separates the two parties.
"This week the Senate and House will vote on
a bill that gives states the flexibility they need to improve their public
schools in spending federal aid they receive," Clinton said. "I support this
bill."
The Education Flexibility Partnership Act, better known as
"Ed-Flex," would give school districts more leeway in how they spend certain
federal funds. The program already exists in 12 states, and this would extend it
to all 50.
Although the measure has broad support and was designed to
show bipartisanship in the wake of the impeachment battle that dominated the new
Congress, the bill has served as a preview of the philosophical battles over
class size and other school issues expected this year.
"Last October,
just before the election, Republicans joined us in promising the American people
more teachers and smaller classes," Clinton said. "Less than five months later,
we now have the first big test of whether this Congress is really willing to
work together across party lines and with the White House to get things done."
Clinton said he supported the efforts of Democratic Sens. Patty Murray
of Washington and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts to offer an amendment that
would add $ 11.4 billion over six years to hire new teachers.
"Unfortunately, Republican leaders are trying to shut down debate on the
Ed-Flex bill before this important amendment on more teachers and smaller
classes can even be voted on," Clinton said.
Senate Majority Leader
Trent Lott, R-Miss., has said he wants the bill to win quick passage and prefers
that the issue of class size, as well as Republican education proposals, be
dealt with later in the year as part of the comprehensive Elementary and
Secondary Education Act.
"When it comes to our children's
future, politics must stop at the schoolhouse door," Clinton said.
Rep.
J.C. Watts, chairman of the House Republican Conference, issued a swift rebuke
of Clinton. "It was wrong for the president to use his weekly radio address to
make a partisan attack against Republicans on the issue of education," he said.
He urged Clinton "and all Democrats in Congress to join Republicans in
finding common-sense solutions to providing all children a better education."
In his remarks, Hastert, R-Ill., said Republicans were committed to
saving Social Security, calling the national program for retirees a "sacred
trust between the people and the federal government."
House and Senate
Republicans last week released the broad outlines of a budget plan that would
wall off all funds in the Social Security trust fund so they could not be spent
on other programs or on tax cuts.
Hastert expressed willingness to work
with the president on Social Security reform, but he renewed Republican
criticism of Clinton's proposal to invest part of the Social Security Trust Fund
in the stock market.
"The administration wants the government to control
those investment decisions. We believe that these choices are better left to
individual investors," he said.
Hastert said that after Congress reaches
a consensus on retirement security, "we need to enact tax relief in order to put
more money back in your pockets where it belongs."
LOAD-DATE: March 9, 1999 
