Ehrlich on Washington column, June 22, 1997

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 2 1 093 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 3 1 5 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Week of June 22, 1997 GOP LEADERS DROP THE BALL In baseball and in politics, it is possible to lead the opposing team throughout an entire game, only to lose it in the final inning. That is exactly what happened to the House Republican leadership, who gave up a towering home run to President Bill Clinton during the showdown over the disaster relief funding bill. As you may know, President Clinton vetoed a disaster relief bill because of his opposition to two specific legislative provisions, one of which would have prevented future government shutdowns from occurring. But instead of staying on the mound and keeping up the pressure, the House Republican leadership balked and gave the President another unearned victory. If Davy Johnson and the coaching staff of Baltimore Orioles showed this same incompetence and lack of fortitude, the team would be in last place. Ever the master politician, President Clinton successfully advanced the argument that the anti¬ shutdown provision was an “extraneous” measure which held innocent victims of recent flooding in the Midwest hostage to the “extreme” political agenda of congressional Republicans. While the President’s political instincts are sound, his argument is factually deficient in two respects. First, there is a direct link between the anti-shutdown provision and emergency disaster aid. The anti-shutdown provision would ensure that federal government agencies can respond to victims of natural disasters. If the government shuts down over a budgetary dispute, this will obviously render federal agencies unable to deliver emergency aid to victims of natural disasters. Second, the dispute between Congress and the White House over the anti-shutdown measure did