WASHINGTON — Republicans rammed critical tax and budget legislation through the House on largely party-line votes Thursday, setting up a preelection collision with President Clinton, who vowed to veto the measures.
With Congress on the verge of adjournment, the brinkmanship left up in the air a broad range of issues that could factor into the presidential and congressional campaigns before the Nov. 7 elections.
Among them are proposals to raise the minimum wage, help build new schools, offer tax breaks for retirement savings and ease immigration laws.
The high-stakes confrontation unfolded just a day after it appeared that Clinton and Republican congressional leaders were nearing closure on minimum-wage and tax-cut negotiations and preparing to tackle the final annual spending bills needed to run the government.
Instead, the tone of partisan warfare was set when House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri showed up for a Democratic caucus wearing red and blue face paint and a breastplate and brandishing a spear, in theatrics meant to evoke the Scottish hero in the film "Braveheart."
Despite two fresh veto promises, Republicans insisted that they were passing compromise legislation that the president should accept.
"Sign the bill," House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) urged Clinton during one round of debate. "It will make you mostly happy. That's as much as you can expect in this life."
Armey spoke before the House voted, 237 to 174, to approve a bill containing $240 billion in tax cuts and breaks over 10 years, including an expansion of the limit on annual contributions to tax-deferred individual retirement accounts, from $2,000 to $5,000. The measure also would raise the federal minimum wage to $6.15 an hour, up from $5.15, in two years--60 cents less than what California's minimum wage will be by that time. And it would provide $28 billion over five years for hospitals, health maintenance organizations and other health care providers--a politically potent group of beneficiaries--seeking increased Medicare funding.
Republicans made clear that Democrats should expect nothing better after a year in which Clinton has vetoed two major bills to cut taxes for married couples and repeal the federal estate tax.
