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From @lex-luthor.ai.mit.edu:hes@REAGAN.AI.MIT.EDU Wed Jun 9 19:25:36 1993
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 10:28-0400
From: The White House <75300.3115@compuserve.com>
To: Clinton-News-Distribution@campaign92.org
Subject: Press Briefing by Dee Dee Myers 6.7.93
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 7, 1993
PRESS BRIEFING
BY DEE DEE MYERS
The Briefing Room
1:50 P.M. EDT
Q Dee Dee, Dee Dee, Dee Dee. (Laughter.)
MS. MYERS: You guys never quit, you know.
Q Is it Babbitt? (Laughter.)
Q Tomorrow?
Q Enough of the foreplay, what about -- (Laughter.)
MS. MYERS: That's right. Now we'll get -- I can see
the press hasn't changed a bit. Helen and Bill here in the front.
I think that we will have an announcement on Supreme
Court fairly soon. I think it's likely but now assured that it will
happen this week. It will not happen today.
Q Babbitt?
Q Tomorrow?
MS. MYERS: Obviously, I can't say. I don't think so,
no.
Q Not tomorrow?
MS. MYERS: I think that's unlikely. So I think the
latter part of this week at the earliest.
Q President --
MS. MYERS: Yes, the normal process. The President
hasn't made a final decision yet, but there is the on-going process.
Q Will the President meet with whoever the candidate
is, especially if it's someone who is not from Washington -- or
someone that he does not personally know?
MS. MYERS: The process is going forward and the
President has not made final decision yet and it is not clear --
Q Has he interviewed anyone personally? Has he
spoken with anyone personally who is a potential nominee?
MS. MYERS: I don't believe that he's had any personal
meetings with the potential candidates.
Q Dee Dee, did the way the Lani Guinier thing went
where he said he had not read all of her writings -- is that
reflective of the vetting process for this particular nominee?
MS. MYERS: Well, I think certainly the vetting process
is different for Supreme Court nominee than it is for as Assistant
Attorney General position. However, I think that we've gone --
throughout this administration we've tried to learn from our mistakes
and to do better. I think that there will be a very thorough review
of all the likely candidates for Supreme Court. I don't know that
the President will read all of the writings of each of the
candidates, but you can be assured that somebody will, and those
views will be presented clearly and thoroughly to the President.
Q Well, Dee Dee, could you tell us where the process
is exactly because all along we've been led to believe that it would
have to be -- the nomination would have to be made very soon because
of the six-week time lag and the fact that you wanted this nomination
cleared by the time Congress leaves in August. Is he still searching
for candidates? Is the search done? Has it been narrowed to one,
two?
MS. MYERS: Without giving a specific number, I would
say that the search has been narrowed, that the President is
reviewing the results of the vetting process. I think there's still
some pieces being collected and the President will continue to review
that and make a final decision some time very soon. But he's
obviously given this a lot of thought. He's spent a good deal of
time on it as has the staff, and I think he's fairly close to making
a decision.
Q And when you say the decision has not been made,
does that mean that he's simply waiting for the results of the
vetting process to put his chop on the final candidate, or are more
than one candidate still in play?
MS. MYERS: He hasn't made a final decision, so that
does mean that there are -- there is more than one candidate at play
here, Without saying more about how many or who, the President will
again review the final documents as they come into the vetting
process and make a decision sometime soon. I think, again, it's
likely this week, but not guaranteed.
Q Dee Dee, the Republicans on the committee say that
in light of his last preparation on Guinier that they're going to
want to take -- they're not going to rushed into a judgement and that
any candidates are going to be squeaky clean. Has anybody been
knocked out over ethical concerns?
MS. MYERS: Not that I know of.
Q This morning Mitchell says that he was tough --
Boren would be on -- when it came time for the Finance Committee to
vote. He didn't think they'd have to go around the Finance
Committee. From where does that optimism come? Do you share that
view?
MS. MYERS: Well, we've been hopeful all along that this
could get worked out through the Senate Finance Committee. Obviously
we'll leave that to Senator Moynihan and the other members. As you
know, Senator Moynihan and Senator Mitchell will be here later today,
at 5:30 p.m., to meet with the President. The President will meet
with, I believe it's Democratic leadership tomorrow morning from both
Houses to just talk about the reconciliation generally and other
issues.
But I think -- we've been hopeful all along that we can
reach a conclusion. I think the President would welcome changes in
his package as long as the major principles are preserved. That is
that his package will create jobs, that it will reduce the deficit by
$500 billion over five years, that it will be fair, that it will take
-- most of the new revenue will come from people making over
$100,000, and that there will be a good balance between new taxes and
spending cuts. And if the Senate comes back with deeper spending
cuts and fewer taxes, I think the President is inclined to look
favorably at that.
Q You didn't say in that list there that the Btu tax
--
MS. MYERS: The President has said, I think, time and
time again that he's committed to a broad-based energy tax, a Btu
tax, and will continue to work with the Senate.
Q Boren keeps saying is that the Btu tax isn't going
to happen as far as he's concerned. Have you got anything you can
give him.
MS. MYERS: Again, this is something that the Finance
Committee is going to have to work out; that's the next phase. I
think, again, the President will meet with Senator Moynihan later
today. I'm sure that Senator Moynihan will probably have something
to say after that meeting. But the President is committed to the
principles of his package. We feel good that the package has a good
chance of making it through the Senate Finance Committee and through
the full Senate and then it's to the Conference Committee.
Q With modifications?
MS. MYERS: Well, the modifications and then obviously
you have to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate
versions, whatever those might be. But, again, I mean the President
is committed to the broad principles of his package as he has been
throughout this process, and we're confident that we can get a budget
that reflects his values.
Q What do you think about the Moynihan cut, $51
billion, a lot of Medicare?
MS. MYERS: It's something that the President, I'm sure,
will talk about with Senator Moynihan today. Obviously, the
President has said he's willing to look at additional spending cuts
and fewer taxes, but it's something that the Finance Committee is
going to have to work out in terms of the specific details.
Q There's no gas tax rumblings. What's the
administration's current position on the gas tax?
MS. MYERS: The President has not changed his position
on the gas tax. He doesn't believe that it is as fair regionally as
a Btu tax or some other broad-based energy tax. The President has
just not changed on that.
Q So what about increasing the gas tax within the
framework of a Btu tax? I mean, gasoline is in there anyway. What
about increasing that? Is that an option?
MS. MYERS: Again, as Secretary Bentsen said yesterday,
the President and the administration is willing to look at all
options. However, that's not something that's been proposed yet. If
the Senate Finance Committee comes back with it, we'll take a look at
it.
Q Has the President rescheduled the meeting with the
Black Caucus?
MS. MYERS: No.
Q Dee Dee, what about scaling back the Btu tax fairly
dramatically? Is that an option that's being considered?
MS. MYERS: I think clearly it's an option that we'd be
willing to take a look at what the Senate Finance Committee comes
back with in terms of restructuring the Btu tax.
Q Have you discussed it with Boren? Is there a point
at which he'd accept it if it was scaled way back?
MS. MYERS: I don't know that we've had specific
conversations with him about a particular point. This is something
that is going to have to be worked out within the committee and
something that I'm sure that Senator Moynihan and the President and
Senator Mitchell will talk about.
Q Senior aides for Babbitt said this morning that
they think Babbitt is likely to get a Supreme Court appointment. Do
you all dispute that?
MS. MYERS: I think they may be speaking from their
hearts, which is understandable. I can't comment specifically on who
may or may not be selected until the President's made a final
decision.
Q Anything on the massacre in Liberia?
MS. MYERS: Obviously, we deplore that kind of violence
and hope that the parties will come together to a negotiated
settlement to the three-year-old civil war there.
Q I want to follow Susan's earlier question. If the
point where the President focused on one person for the Supreme Court
and he thought, well, this is pretty much our candidate now, would
the President then sit down and personally read some of that person's
major writings? Is he going to do that, do you know?
MS. MYERS: I don't want to say specifically what he
might do. I think clearly that the team that's looking at the
various Supreme Court candidates will give the President a thorough
briefing on anything that that person may have written. I think it's
up to the President then whether he feels he needs to read various
documents. I think, again, there's a different level of scrutiny, if
you will, for Supreme Court justice than there is probably for an
assistant attorney general. I think it will very much depend on what
might be out there with a particular nominee.
Q Dee Dee, will you clarify this. We all have been
told that the President put the woman out from the nomination of the
civil rights because she was for accumulative voting. And then the
records come out and show that accumulative voting was not originated
by her, not even advocated strongly by her, but that it has been in
effect for years in New York City, places like New Mexico, Alabama
and Pennsylvania, places like that -- they've been voting seven
times, some of them. How can they possibly permit that to go on? Is
he going to do something about stopping accumulative voting now that
he's found out that it exists and he's not for it?
MS. MYERS: Well, I think that the President made his
case fairly clearly on Thursday night about what his troubles were
with Ms. Guinier's previous writings. There were a couple of things
including proportional representation, accumulative voting which were
troubling to him in the broad way that they were applied in some of
her writings. But I think we've been over that, and I would hope
that we can move on from that.
Q Well, you can't get over it because the facts show
and the facts came out after he said he was not going to have her
because of accumulative voting. And then it shows that these other
states have already been doing it for years. And it must be against
the law. So I wonder if the President's going to take some lead in
trying to see that that's stopped.
MS. MYERS: No, we don't have any plans to, but perhaps
we'll review it. I'll get back to you.
Q Dee Dee, any word on that topic? Has the
President's got any candidates in mind and will it possibly be
another black woman candidate?
MS. MYERS: Don't have a replacement yet. And when we
do we'll let you know.
Q The long knives seem to be out for Bernie Nussbaum.
Would you care to offer the President's thousand-percent support for
him, or does that fall under Mack's review?
MS. MYERS: No, the President stands behind Bernie
Nussbaum.
Q Are there going to be any changes in the Counsel's
Office?
MS. MYERS: I can't speak to that because I honestly
don't know. Again, that is something that Mack will address later
this week.
Q Dee Dee, do the administration's ethics rules allow
a spouse of a Supreme Court justice to work in the Justice
Department?
MS. MYERS: I don't know the answer to that. I will
have to take that question.
Q Bob Krueger lost by a very big margin --(laughter.)
MS. MYERS: Squeaker. (Laughter.)
Q and they certainly don't say that's the only
reason, but they cite it, use words like the misadventures at the
White House and the President. What kind of message do you think the
Texas voters were sending to this White House?
MS. MYERS: Well, I don't know that they were sending
any message. I think it was largely about local issues. It was, to
some degree, about spending cuts. But Senate Krueger didn't vote for
the budget resolution; he didn't support the President's budget
package. He didn't campaign on the President's budget package. So I
don't think this can be judged in any way as a referendum on the
President's budget package. I think it was a local race.
But if we're keeping score, I think it's important to
look at the other races around the country, special elections that
have occurred since the President, including one tomorrow in
California where I think the Democrat is almost assured to win.
Q Dee Dee, do you think it was irresponsible of Mrs.
Bailey Hutchinson to suggest that it had anything to do with taxes?
MS. MYERS: I think she's free to suggest it had to do
with whatever she wants. But I think since neither candidate
campaigned for the President's budget package, I don't think it can
be read as a referendum on the President's budget package.
Q On entitlements, Senator Breaux yesterday thought
that there should be a change in the Medicare Part B premium for
upper income. Is the administration willing to consider any means
testing on Medicare Part B?
MS. MYERS: I think that Senator Moynihan has made his
views fairly clear on that. We'll see what the Senate Finance
Committee comes up with. But I don't know that that's likely.
Q Is the administration also willing to consider
bypassing Senate Finance altogether and getting it directly to the
floor?
MS. MYERS: I think Secretary Bentsen said yesterday
that if we have to go around -- and Senator Moynihan, whose job as
the Chairman of the Committee said that he was going to get the
package to the floor no matter what it took. Now, I think Senator
Moynihan has also said that he doesn't think it will have to go
around his committee. But I think that Senator Moynihan made it
clear that he's willing to do whatever it takes to get the package to
the floor.
I think the consequences of not going forward, of the
kind of chaos that could result from this package not going forward
are severe. Five hundred billion dollars in deficit reduction has
meant a lowering of interest rates. It's put more than $10 billion
back into the economy already since the election. I think that there
is significant deficit reduction, there's job creation in the
package. It is a sound fiscally responsible package. And I think we
need it.
Q Dee Dee, is the President meeting with any other
senators?
Q It's not a matter of going forward. It's just a
matter of using a different procedure to get it forward and to get it
on the floor.
MS. MYERS: Which is why we -- I mean, we're going to
get it to the floor one way or another.
Q And health care is also hinging on progress on the
budget, as you've said. Is there also a concern that if it does look
like it's being tied up in Finance, that you would go that route in
order not to delay health care reform?
MS. MYERS: I think our commitment now is to getting
reconciliation done. I think that's our first priority. As we've
said, we think that that will happen. We think we can get this
package through Senate Finance and through the full Senate, and we'll
continue to work toward that goal.
Q Dee Dee, can I ask you about Haiti? If the
measures announced by the administration on Friday are not strong
enough, is the White House ready to go further than that?
MS. MYERS: I think that we've said repeatedly that
we're willing to consider tougher sanctions, including an
international sanctions oil embargo.
Q What about the -- let me follow-up on that. There
was a story last night that said that at the OAS meeting in Managua,
the U.S. had backed a total embargo of oil and other goods.
MS. MYERS: I think what was said is that we're willing
to look at that. Obviously, there's no proposal in the U.N. right
now to do that, but we've said we're willing to look at tougher
measures.
Q On Ray Flynn, there's a story in the Boston Herald
saying that he's very disenchanted. He's been treated badly by the
State Department who called his appointment a two-year junket to the
Vatican. Has he formally submitted that he wants out?
MS. MYERS: No, I don't believe so. The President has
asked him to serve as his Ambassador to the Holy See and that process
is moving forward.
Q Have they talked? Have they talked?
MS. MYERS: I don't know. I don't think so, but I'll
have to double-check. I'll have to take that.
Q Dee Dee, according to Boston reporters, Flynn has
given the White House 48 hours to clean up its act or whatever
ultimatum he gave before he would withdraw from that nomination. Are
there negotiations, discussions? What's going on between Flynn and
the White House?
MS. MYERS: I think he's had conversations with the
State Department, and I don't believe -- he hasn't talked to anybody
in the White House that I know of. But I'll take the question. As
far as -- obviously, the President would like to see this move
forward. I don't know that he's talked to Mayor Flynn, but I'll
check and find out.
Q Dee Dee, on the aftermath of this ship going
aground off the coast of New York City with the 300 Chinese
immigrants or aliens -- whatever -- Representative Schumer says that
the White House has set up a task force to take a look into the
entire immigration problems underscored by this event. Is that true?
MS. MYERS: Yes, it's been ongoing for, I believe,
several months. It includes INS, Treasury, Justice. It's
coordinated by the National Security Council. And they're looking at
a number of measures, including working with the flagging countries,
East Asian countries who are involved, toughening U.S. local and
state laws, enhancing enforcement, and prosecuting American residents
who might be involved. I think the INS put out a statement on this
on Friday.
Q They did put out one?
MS. MYERS: Yes.
Q What's the administration's position on the status
of these boat people now? What's going to happen to them in the
immediate sense?
MS. MYERS: They'll go through the review process to
determine whether or not they are eligible for legal status or
actually register as political refugees.
Q Is their status similar to -- situation similar to
the Haitian refugees? I mean, is it going to take as long as that?
MS. MYERS: I don't know where they're all being
detained, and I would refer you to INS for the specific details. But
there is a process being set up. Each of them will be interviewed to
determine their identity and their actual status, and then decisions
will be made on a case-by-case basis. And exactly where they're
being held in the interim I don't know. I mean, it's not like
Guantanamo and it's not like they're being sent back right away.
Q Dee Dee, can I have a follow-up? I heard a report
that many of them are asking asylum based on the fact that China has
a sterilization policy and that President Bush approved something in
1989 that they could claim under that situation.
MS. MYERS: Again, we're reviewing the cases on an
individual basis and will make a determination on an individual
basis.
Q Dee Dee, Madeleine Albright said over the weekend
that those responsible for the attack on the U.N. peacekeeping force
in Somalia would pay a heavy price. The U.N. has adopted a
resolution to seek out those responsible, put them on trial, and make
them pay. Does the White House believe that it will require the
introduction of additional U.S. troops to carry out that U.N.
mandate?
MS. MYERS: At this point we don't have a decision on
that. We're looking at it to try to determine who was involved in the
incident in Somalia. We support the U.N. resolution, obviously, as
Ambassador Albright said, and we'll take a look at it.
Q But at this point there had been no determination
that additional U.s. forces of any kind will be required to carry
that out?
MS. MYERS: No.
Q Dee Dee, under this new set-up here, are you going
to continue to brief in the morning on a formal basis? And the
afternoon briefing -- late afternoon briefing sort of gone by the
wayside in the past couple weeks. What are you plans for
logistically along those lines?
MS. MYERS: I'm glad you asked. I think with the
opening of the hallway -- the morning briefing was originally an
opportunity to give people early morning access to somebody in the
press office given that the hallway was closed. I think what we'll
do is move the daily briefing to 11:30 a.m., a little earlier as a
lot of you have requested, and eliminate the morning briefing. And
the afternoon briefing I think will be a needs basis. If there's a
particular meeting that there needs to be a readout on, myself or
somebody else could come down and do that. But I think that daily
schedule will be obviously open hallway, and an 11:30 a.m. briefing,
starting tomorrow.
Q Hutchinson campaigned on reducing federal spending.
Is the White House now more apt to take a second look at the
supercollider and the space station?
MS. MYERS: At this point the President continues to
support those programs that are in the budget.
Q When might he know?
MS. MYERS: At this point he continues to -- there's
been no change in our policy.
Q Would he accept, in fact, Congress taking those
out? Would that not make a bill subject to a veto if Congress took
those out?
MS. MYERS: We'd have to look at anything that the
Senate or the conference produced --
Q The election in Texas doesn't basically change the
administrations view on either project?
MS. MYERS: No.
Q Any travel on the schedule?
MS. MYERS: Nothing scheduled this week, and next week
is unclear, although there's nothing on yet. It could change.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END 2:07 P.M. EDT
#81-06/07
