WASHINGTON – Congressional Republican leaders are bracing for President Clinton to shut down the government to exact revenge upon the Senate for rejecting his no-nukes treaty, say several leadership aides.
At a heated press conference last week, Clinton seemed to be looking for a fight with the congressional Republicans over the budget, urging them to “put an end to reckless partisanship, to gimmicks and gamesmanship.”
“It looked like from the president’s press conference that he’s out for revenge,” said a GOP House leadership aide.
Clinton has threatened to veto five spending bills, including those funding the Interior, Commerce, State, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education departments.
He’s signed just five of 13 spending bills into law, even though the new fiscal year began Oct. 1. To keep the government running, Congress passed, and Clinton signed, a “continuing resolution” that funds government agencies at last year’s levels, until Thursday.
White House aides said Clinton would agree to extend the funding for another week, Senate Republicans might want a longer extension, which Clinton would reject.
White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said Friday there have been no discussions between the White House and congressional leaders on a compromise.
“We’re at the point where all the important decisions are made by five people,” said a Senate Democratic aide. “And those five people aren’t talking.”
Outsiders might wonder why there is even talk about shutting down a government that is projecting a surplus of $1 trillion over 10 years.
Congressional scholar Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute said: “It’s a single-minded desire to bring pain and defeat to another actor in this process.”