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White House - Congressional Leadership Meeting, 2/17/70
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White House - Congressional Leadership Meeting, 2/17/70
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Robert T. Hartmann Papers
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1970
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Bob Hartman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 17, 1970
By
OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
PRESS CONFERENCE
OF
SENATOR HUGH SCOTT
AND
CONGRESSMAN GERALD R. FORD
THE ROOSEVELT ROOM
AT 11:07 A.M. EST.
SENATOR SCOTT: Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Leadership meeting today heard a discussion by
the President and Dr. Kissinger of the President's forthcoming
message on the state of the world, which will be designated
as A New Strategy for Peace, and which, you know, will go up
tomorrow at noon.
There will be a Bipartisan Leadership meeting for a
briefing at 4:30 this afternoon. The President will discuss
the various regions of the world and the American posture in
those regions. He will point out how the new foreign policy
for the United States differs or varies from earlier foreign
policy attitudes of post-World War II.
He will outline some very definite American positions
with regard to the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere, Europe and
other areas. The details of the message, of course, are not
available until tomorrow.
Q
Will the President do these things in the
message or in the Leadership meeting?
SENATOR SCOTT: There will be a briefing to the
Bipartisan Leadership at 4:30 today, and the message will
come up for release at noon, tomorrow and will be accompanied by a
breakdown or analysis.
Q
Is the briefing here in the White House with
the President?
LIBRARY GERALD FORD
SENATOR SCOTT: It is on the Hill. The briefing will
be conducted by White House officials. It will include
Dr. Kissinger.
2
Senator, did the President express any concern
to you or did you express concern to him about the economy? Was
there any discussion about the economy at all?
SENATOR SCOTT: Not directly, no. This was a
discussion generally on foreign policy.
Q
Will this be the foreign policy group on the
Hill, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and so on, or will it be
larger?
MORE
These documents were scanned from Box 106 of the Robert T. Hartmann Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
- 2 -
SENATOR SCOTT: I think it will be the Leadership,
plus Chairmen and ranking Members of the Foreign Policy
and, I assume, Armed Services.
Q
Did you talk about pending legislation?
SENATOR SCOTT: There was discussion of the new
HEW-Labor bill, yes.
Q
What was said or what is the outlook?
SENATOR SCOTT: I think Mr. Ford can comment on
that first.
CONGRESSMAN FORD: The matter of the Labor-HEW
appropriations bill was discussed. The Administration does
support the main thrust of this appropriations bill. Secretary
Finch is appearing before the House Committee on Rules this
afternoon, I understand, at 2:00. There will be an attempt
made to get a rule waiving all points of order so that the
bill can come up tomorrow, with the language additions that
were made in the Committee as a whole.
Q
What was the President's position on the Whitten
Amendment?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: As I said, the President does
support the main thrust of the bill. He does feel that the
provisions that were included basically coincide with the
points he has made in the last week; one, that you should not
bus for the purpose of racial balance. He does believe firmly
in the neighborhood school concept, and the language in the
bill does seem to be helpful in that regard.
The bill also seeks to equally apply the decisions
that have been made by the Supreme Court on a nation-wide
basis. So, basically, the Administration is supporting the
bill as it has been reported by the full Committee, although I
think I should say we are taking a careful look at the language
to see whether. there should be any minor modifications or
any additions to it.
Q
Jerry, are you saying the Administration now
does support the Whitten Amendment contrary to what happened
in the Senate last year?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: No. What I am saying is that the
Administration does support the basic thrust of the bill as
it has been reported.
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
Q
But does that include the Whitten Amendment?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: We do feel that the provisions in
the bill coincide with the President's statements of the
last week. I add, as I did a minute ago, we are carefully
studying the language and I would not rule out entirely the
possibility of an addition or some minor modifications.
Q
Where, Mr. Ford, are the differences between
the Whitten Amendment and what the President believes?
MORE
- 3 -
CONGRESSMAN FORD: Quite frankly, we are in the
process right now of analyzing the bill which was just reported
yesterday. The Secretary of HEW, Members of the Rules
Committee, Members of the Committee on Appropriations, have
been working since the bill was reported yesterday, and I
cannot give you a categorical answer.
SENATOR SCOTT: A little later today I will be able
to give you some further information on some amendments
that I presently plan to offer in the Senate with reference
to the two Stennis Amendments, the bussing amendment and
the general application of the laws amendment. I can say
that on the bussing, what I propose will be in line with the
President's clearly stated views, views that I believe to
be the views of a majority in both Houses of Congress, and that
is that no local education agency shall be forced or required
to bus purely to achieve racial balance or to overcome
racial imbalance.
The language is still in preparation. I have only
a rough draft, but I will have an amendment to that
Stennis Amendment, and an amendment to the other Stennis
Amendment, if the parliamentary situation permits.
Q
What is the difference between that and Senator
Stennis' amendment on bussing?
SENATOR SCOTT: Well, I am not yet fully prepared to
discuss all of the differences, because we have had only some
preliminary thought given to it, but the basic difference is
to make it clear that the Congress does not favor required
bussing to overcome racial imbalance. To a degree it is a
restatement of the 1964 Act.
Q
To how much of a degree?
SENATOR SCOTT: It is largely a restatement. The
wording will be different.
Q
Did the President comment to you on Secretary
Laird's report to him?
SENATOR SCOTT: He did not.
Q
Was the Carswell nomination and its scheduling
discussed at all?
SENATOR SCOTT: It was not.
LIBRAR,
Q
What is the President's position, as you
understand it, about the other equal application amendment?
Is he for it or against it?
SENATOR SCOTT: I am certainly not in a position to
speak for the President in that regard. Speaking for myself,
I will have an amendment to offer at the proper time.
Q
Could you give us some idea of what the amendment
is going to say?
SENATOR SCOTT: In an hour or two I will be able to
give you some idea on that. It will be a very simple change
in phraseology. I can't tell you yet.
MORE
- 4 -
Q
Senator, where do you stand on the reported
Voting Rights Bill proposal that you are supposed to have
worked up. Does the President approve that?
SENATOR SCOTT: I have not asked the President whether
he approves or disapproves some compromises which are being
prodded about but have not yet been brought formally before
the Judiciary Committee. There will be some suggestions made,
and I will go into those suggestions, with regard to a possible
solution of the problems since the Senate and the House might
well disagree on the wording, and I hope through some wording
of my own to avoid that, by advocating an extension of
the Voting Rights Act with certain features which the Administra-
tion would certainly like to see included.
Q
Are you working with the White House on the
wording of these two amendments which you propose to put up?
SENATOR SCOTT: No, I am not working with the White
House on the wording of the amendments, but whatever I do,
I hope they will not be regarded as contentious or argumentative.
It is an effort to achieve a compromise.
Were you referring to the Voting Rights Amendment?
Q
Yes.
SENATOR SCOTT: My answer was to the Voting Rights
Amendment. On the School Aid Bill, I have had some discussions
with officials of the Department of HEW.
Q
Senator, do you favor the thrust of the Whitten
and Jonas Amendments on the HEW bill?
SENATOR SCOTT: I would be inclined to have somewhat
a differing view, but it may not be necessary by the time
it comes to the Senate. I don't know of the form in which the
bill will leave the House. You heard Mr. Ford say that broadly
the President supports the thrust of the bill.
MORE
LICENSE GERALD ? FORD
- 5 -
Q
Could either one of you explain how it is that
last year the Administration very vigorously opposed the Whitten
Admendment, worked against it, finally got it defeated and this
year you say that the President is in general agreement with the
thrust of it now? How do we come to this turn-around?
SENATOR SCOTT: I think Mr. Ford's answer to that was
that the President is in general agreement with the thrust of
the bill. I do not regard it as a turn-around. My views in
the Senate remain as before and we will have to see whether
these can be worked out.
CONGRESSMAN FORD: If I might add a comment to that,
I think in the interim we have had several Court decisions that
are very narrow in scope, but at least in my opinion -- and I
emphasize, in my opinion -- have been very impractical as to
application.
I think it is fundamentally wrong for a court to
decide that a child or many children should be taken out of
one school during a term or a semester and arbitrarily trans-
ferred to another school.
Now, in my judgment, this impractical kind of court
decision requires the Congress -- and I emphasize, the Congress
-- to take a fresh look at what the Federal role should be in the
overall problem.
Q
Senator, could you tell us what difference you see,
if you do see a difference, between bussing to achieve racial
balance, or to obviate racial imbalance, and bussing to achieve
an integrated school?
SENATOR SCOTT: Well, I think you have stated a
question that is more philosophical than factual. The
Vice President will head a Commission for the purpose of
determining whether any injustices or maladjustments have been
broughtabout by virtue of court decisions, State court decisions
in most cases.
The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on de facto segre-
gation and therefore, the whole question of bussing is somewhat
up in the air since it has been pointed out by a number of people
that the very word is confusing semantically. Almost all
children are taken to school by buses nowadays, but required
bussing to achieve racial imbalance is philosophically undesir-
able and I think the President has firmly taken a position on
that.
I have, too. If we can get a vote on that issue alone
as distinguished from Freedom of Choice and other issues as raised
by the Stennis Amendment, I think there would be less difficulty
in getting Senate approval of that single issue. I think that
often each school district will have to be treated as a separate
entity and I believe that is what the Vice President's commission
will address itself to, school district by school district,
particularly where they have been affected by a court decision
and particularly in view of the fact that the Supreme Court has
not yet ruled on the issue of de facto segregation.
MORE
LIBRARY GERALD R. FORD
-6-
Q
Does that mean, Senator, that in certain
districts bussing would be proper for integrating schools?
SENATOR SCOTT: In certain districts voluntary bussing
is used now and in certain districts an agreement might be
worked out for voluntary bussing. But to require bussing is,
in my judgment, something the Congress has already acted on
in the 1964 Act and will probably reassert, perhaps more broadly
this time.
a
And that is the President's view as you under-
stand it?
SENATOR SCOTT: As I understand it, that is the
President's view.
Q Senator, why is it necessary to restate it? If
it is already the law, why is it necessary to restate it?
SENATOR SCOTT: Because there are attempts to unstate it
by adding to that established principle other features in a
single amendment. I think we had better get back to the single
restatement of that issue rather than amendments which combine
bussing with Freedom of Choice or bussing with other objectives,
some of which might be contrary to the court's decision.
Q
Senator, this Administration has taken the position
in several appeals in the Supreme Court that the 1964 Amendment
does not apply to the dis-establishment of a dual system where
that was established by law or policy.
Would your amendment overturn that?
SENATOR SCOTT: You are asking me to sit as a court and
I am entirely unable to perform the judicial function. I am a
member of the legislature and I would not be able to answer that.
Q
How do you distinguish between voluntary bussing
and forced bussing?
SENATOR SCOTT: One is required and one is not. I used
to understand in school the difference between what was voluntary
and what was required. I learned the hard way.
Q
I am getting to this point: If the local school
board determines that bussing is at least part of the answer for
an integration program and that feature of the plan would be
ratified by a court, is that voluntary or required?
CONGRESSMAN FORD: I think you have to differentiate
-- if I may interject here -- if the local school authorities,
with local funds, with the concurrence of the local people,
GERALD R. FORD
decide that they want to bus for any purpose, that is their
prerogative.
What we at the Federal level, and particularly in the
Congress, are saying is that you cannot, with Federal funds,
require bussing to eliminate racial imbalance. What the local
people want to do with their own approval is one thing. But
we are saying at the Federal level you cannot require this
bussing to eliminate racial imbalance.
MORE
-7-
SENATOR SCOTT: Moreoever, as I understand the
President's viewpoint now, and undertaking to speak for him,
he is in favor of the concept of neighborhood schools, and
even at the lower level, if there were a system of bussing
entered into which was disruptive of the neighborhood school
system, that also might come under the review of the Vice
President's committee.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END
(AT 11:25 A.M.)
Et BEEALD
Helen/ Last meeting
was As pre. - occupied
with poorgo policy
2 didn't Delever These
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
HOUSE ACTION, FEBRUARY 3 THROUGH FEBRUARY 16, 1970
Monday, February 9, 1970
POTATOES
RULE
By a voice vote, the House adopted H.Res.817, providing for one
hour of debate.
PASSAGE
The House passed S.2214 by a voice vote, to exempt potatoes for
processing from marketing orders.
Tuesday, February 10, 1970
LAND ACQUISITION
RULE
By a voice vote, the House adopted H.Res.818, providing for one
hour of debate.
PASSAGE
The House passed H.R.3786 by a voice vote, to authorize acquisition of
land at the Point Reyes National Seashore, California.
Monday, February 16, 1970
FORD
CONSENT CALENDAR
GERALD
LIBRARY
SUSPENSIONS (FIVE BILLS)
By a record vote of 300 yeas to 19 nays, the House passed H.R.1049, to
amend the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act.
The House passed the following bills by voice votes:
H.R.14300
To facilitate the disposal of Government Records and to
abolish the Joint Committee on the Disposition of Executive
Papers
H.R.14116
To increase criminal penalties under the Sherman Antitrust Act
- 2 -
SUSPENSIONS Continued
H.R. 13582
To authorize the waiver of claims of the United States
arising out of certain erroneous payments
H.R. 13008
Job Evaluation Policy Act of 1970
Program Ahead
Tuesday, February 17, 1970
H.R. 14810
To authorize production research under marketing agreement
and order programs (open Rule - one hour of debate)
H.R. 15165
To establish a Commission on Population Growth and the
American Future (open Rule - one hour of debate)
Wednesday, February 18, 1970 and Balance of Week
H.R.
Department of Labor - Department of Health, Education and
Welfare Appropriation Bill, FY 1970
gio 3)