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White House - Congressional Leadership Meeting, 9/28/71
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White House - Congressional Leadership Meeting, 9/28/71
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Robert T. Hartmann Papers
House of Representatives Subject Files
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Political reform
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These documents were scanned from Box 107 of the Robert T. Hartmann Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 28, 1971
OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
PRESS CONFERENCE
R.
FORD
OF
SENATOR HUGH SCOTT; CONGRESSMAN GERALD FORD;
GERALD
SENATOR LESLIE C. ARENDS AND
LIBRARY
CONGRESSMAN ROBERT P. GRIFFIN
THE BRIEFING ROOM
AT 5:30 P.M. EDT
MR. ZIEGLER: The President met with the Leaders
for an hour and 20 minutes this afternoon. They are here
to give you a general rundown on what the discussion was.
I would also like to tell you that the President
signed the draft legislation, H.R. 6531. We will have a
statement from the President on that signing which we will
hand out to you.
Q
When did he sign it, Ron?
MR. ZIEGLER: At about 3:40 this afternoon.
Q
Is that why Secretary Laird was here?
MR. ZIEGLER: Yes. Secretary Laird was here for
that.
Senator Scott.
SENATOR SCOTT: Ladies and gentlemen, as you know,
the President has signed the draft bill granting substantial
increases in pay, particularly in the lower grades and
illustrates, for example, that a married man without
children just completing basic training and living off
the military base only gets $255 a month and under the
new bill will receive $450 and a single man living on
base, who now receives $149, will receive $299 under the
new law.
As I understand it, that part of the draft law,
including the pay raise, will take effect at the end of
the 90-day freeze, November 13. Other provisions of the
bill are structured to allow for comparability and the
comparability effect will take place July 1, 1972, and
then in October there will be still another comparability
schedule and in the second one in October, there will be
ample opportunity to take care of any inequities or gaps
which may have been revealed during the early months
of the operation of the law.
Congressman Ford will talk to you about the agenda
we discussed today.
MORE
- 2 -
CONGRESSMAN FORD: We also discussed the
Congressional agenda and the things that were mandatory
from a legislative point of view before adjournment.
The first priority, of course, is the President's
tax package, which has now been approved by the Committee
on Ways and Means, which will be programmed on the floor
of the House next week and hopefully in the Senate within
the next month.
The second major item that the President wants
Congress to act on before we adjourn is welfare reform.
This the House has already passed. I am told that hearings
will be scheduled in the Senate Committee on Finance
sometime after the committee takes up the tax bill.
The third major piece of legislation which the
President reiterated for action this year, not only in
Detroit last week, but today with us, is revenue sharing.
And even though the House hasn't passed revenue sharing
yet, the committee, I think, can report out something.
I believe the House will pass it and with that action I
would hope the Senate would respond.
But these three measures, the President's tax
reduction proposal, the President's welfare reform, the
President's revenue sharing proposal are mandatory from
the Administration's point of view before adjournment
FORD a. GERALO LIBRARY
in 1971
SENATOR SCOTT: Another priority of course will
be the confirmation of two new Justices of the Supreme
Court and when those nominations come up, it is the
President's hope that confirmation can be expedited
so that the court can function at full strength.
On the tax bill, we understand that the Senate
Finance Committee will start hearings October 7, approxi-
mately, and hopes to dispose of it on the floor of the
Senate by the end of October.
Q
Did he indicate when the Supreme Court
Justices would come up and whether it would be in a package?
SENATOR SCOTT: He indicated that there is an
active consideration going on and that he will send them
up in just as short a time as he can, subject to the
surveys that are being conducted.
Q
Did he indicate who they would be?
SENATOR SCOTT: No.
Q
Senator Scott, is a woman in the picture?
SENATOR SCOTT: We talked about women. We
said persons and not men.
Q Senator Scott, if the Senate Finance Committee
has to get through with and report to the floor before
adjournment, first the tax bill, then welfare, then
revenue sharing, how long might it be until Congress can
adjourn? Easter?
MORE
- 3 -
SENATOR SCOTT: I think we should stay here until
we get those done. I hate to say it. It condemns us all to
further servitude on Jenkins Hill, but I think we might
well be here quite a while. Possibly after the end of
November.
Q
Was there any discussion of the heavy rate
of Democratic absenteeism in the Senate?
SENATOR SCOTT: Oh, the President inquired how
many we had and we told him we hoped we had enough for
these various amendments coming up. I think some people
are necessarily absent on various occasions.
Senator Pastore said the other day some are
unnecessary absences and you could include the various
Presidential candidates in the latter category perhaps.
I
Was there any discussion of the future of the
campaign reform bill, particularly in the House, maybe
that is a question for Mr. Ford.
SENATOR SCOTT: That is up to Congressman Ford.
CONGRESSMAN FORD: We held a discussion today, Don,
and the consensus among the House Members from both House
Administration and the Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Committee was that the Senate-passed version of the campaign
reform legislation is the best proposal we have seen. And
that unless we are satisfied with changes in the bill
before the House Administration Committee, and unless we are
satisfied with changes that might be made in the proposal
before the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, we
will actively push as Republicans for the substitution of
the Senate-passed version of the campaign reform bill.
FORD R. GERALO LIBRARY
We think this is a good compromise. We think it
is a step forward in campaign reform legislation and as
Republicans we will do all we can to see that the Senate
version yets an opportunity for exposure in committee
and on the floor as well.
I
Was there any reaction here to that?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: We didn't talk about that
with the President this afternoon.
Q
Other than talking about that with him
this afternoon, is it your understanding that the White
House position is as you have stated your position to be?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: Well, I hesitate at this point
to say this has been given the White House imprimatur, but
I believe there are many positions in that bill that
coincide with the specific views or recommendations of the
White House.
But in our looking at the proposal, and comparing
what the House Administration Committee has already put
together and what may be in the Interstate and Foreign
Commerce bill, we think this is a good vehicle. We may have to
change it to a minor degree, but basically, we think it has
a great many advantages and it is by far preferable to anything
else we have seen.
MORE
- 4 -
Q
Could I ask one more question on this?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: Surely.
Q
What did you do about that in your meeting?
Was this by way of making a party position on this in the
House or how do you characterize what you came out with?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: Well, it was a meeting with the
people in the House Administration Committee and the House
Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee that are struggling
with the problem now and the House Republican Leadership and
it was our consensus this was the best approach and it
will be the procedure, because we think the Senate bill
is an affirmative proposition to basically improve the
existing Corrupt Practice Act.
We can't say it is a Republican position in the
House, because the House Policy Committee hadn't acted
on it, but John Rhodes was there and his view coincided
with mine and the others who were there.
I think it may be but it wasn't that final step
this afternoon.
Q
I take it you did not take up the campaign
reform bill in the discussions with the President?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: That was not discussed.
Q Does that indicate where the campaign reform
bill stands on the White House priority list?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: There were other things that the
President indicated ought to also be included in action
before we adjourned. But we didn't discuss the three or
four other things in detail. He took those three measures,
the tax reduction proposal, welfare reform and the revenue
sharing because those are very, very vital things that ought
R.
FORD
to be implemented in 1972. But he did say there were other
things that we would discuss at the next meeting of this
GERALD
group of four.
Q
Do you anticipate any problems in Congress on
the President's decision in signing the draft bill to not
give the military pay increases until after the current freeze?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: Of course the military pay increase
that was signed today doesn't go into effect until October 1,
and under the President's freeze the military would only be
deprived of an increase in this area between October 1
and November 13.
I believe that the military personnel who are as
anxious as anybody to combat the problems of inflation and to
make equal sacrifices with anybody else will accept
and understand that five-week delay in the pay increase.
MORE
- 5 -
Q
Did Mr. Hebert accept it and understand it?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: I wasn't there at the meeting.
Maybe Mr. Arends can answer that.
CONGRESSMAN ARENDS: I don't know whether you based
that on the report that was in the "Star" today or not, but
I immediately checked with Ed Hebert and he said this
is quite contrary to any discussion he had with Udall.
Q What do you mean, that he is not for this?
CONGRESSMAN ARENDS: He said he was not a part
and parcel of any agreement with Mr. Udall.
Q
That wasn't my question. Mr. Hebert has
expressed himself in the past that in his view the pay
increase should take effect regardless of the wage-price
freeze and I wondered if he changed his mind on that.
CONGRESSMAN ARENDS: I am rather close to Ed
Hebert and I am not of the opinion that he changed his
mind, but he feels this should be done just about the way
Mr. Ford set it out, yes. He is not too disturbed about it.
Q Was there any discussion this afternoon of
the possible need for legislation to implement the second
phase of the President's economic plans?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: There was no discussion today at
all on that point. At the meeting that was held about 10
days ago -- and there were Democratic leaders, committee
chairmen there - there was some discussion about extending
the existing law passed April 30 to next year in order
to get the discussion of the extension out of the area
FORD R. GERALD LIBRARY
of political Presidential campaigns, but there was no
discussion today.
Q
Is it your understanding that legislation will
be needed or not?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: I think it would be needed and
there seemed to be an almost unanimous feeling 10 days
ago it was desirable.
Q
You mean just the extension?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: Just the simple extension of
the existing law for another nine months until February 1,
1973.
Q
I would like to ask Senator Scott and Senator
Griffin, I believe you are both on the Judiciary Committee,
aren't you?
SENATOR GRIFFIN: I used to be.
MORE
- 6 -
Q
The other day, Saturday, I believe, the
President suggested that Mr. Mitchell is consulting with
the committee. Has he suggested some names to you, Senator
Scott, and asked your opinion on the likelihood of quick
confirmation?
SENATOR SCOTT: I am not free to say anything
except that I have had a talk with the Attorney General.
But it would be not proper for me to tell you what
we talked about. But rather than specify names discussed,
there were regions and sections and areas and the advantage
of appointing a man or woman, things of that kind. I would
anticipate there would be further conversation, but there
was nothing very specific at that time.
Q
Congressman Ford, you mentioned that
regarding extending the Act that expires April 30 that the
proposal was made to extend it for another nine months
until February 1, 1973. Where did that date come from?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: During the discussions about
10 days ago there were alternatives suggested. Some wanted
two months. Some wanted January 1, 1973. And after we
took a look at all the alternatives and the possibility
of politics getting involved into the extension in 1972,
I thought there was a high degree of unanimity, that we ought
to have it extended into the next Congress and when the
next President would be faced with the problem and there was
bipartisan support and I didn't hear any disagreement,
Democratic or Republican.
Q
Do you see any reason, Congressman Ford, why
the military pay increases would not go into effect
immediately after the expiration of the present wage-price
freeze? Is it your expectation there will be no further
delays after November 13th?
R.
FORD
CONGRESSMAN FORD: That is my understanding that
after the price freeze expires November 13th that the
GERALD
LIBRARY
military pay increase that were incorporated in the bill,
signed by the President today, would go into effect.
Q In full?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: Yes, that is my understanding.
Q
If I could follow that, doesn't that then set
a precedent for other wages that have been negotiated to go
into effect during the freeze, doesn't this in effect say
they can also go into full effect immediately after the freeze?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: I don't think that necessarily
follows. This is basic legislation that has the hope of
giving us an opportunity for an all volunteer career military
program and these pay increases are for that specific purposes
and I would assume that that wouldn't necessarily mean that
you are going to have comparable wage increases for the
private sector after that time.
MORE
- 7 -
For example, the pay increase for a private goes
up about 50 percent. But this is for a specific purpose,
namely, an all volunteer career military service and I
don't think you can go from that to the private sector
with private pay increases.
THE PRESS:
Thank you.
END
(AT 5:43 P.M. EDT)
GERALD R. FORD LIBRARY