Senate Oks Debate On Finance Reform Breakthrough Clears Way For Last-Minute Legislation

Breaking weeks of gridlock, the Senate’s Republican majority Thursday agreed to allow a full debate next year on campaign finance reform. In a quid pro quo, Democrats dropped their legislative machinations that have all but crippled the chamber since its return from summer vacation.

The breakthrough cleared the way for the Senate to quickly take up some vital pieces of legislation before a planned mid-November adjournment, including “fast-track” legislation to give President Clinton enhanced authority to negotiate trade agreements and a $3.4 billion Amtrak reauthorization bill to put the government-subsidized railroad on a path toward privatization by 2002.

In doubt, however, is a popular $145 billion bill for highway projects around the country. Federal funding of road projects ended with the fiscal year on Sept. 30, and a reauthorization bill was among the measures blocked by Democrats protesting having been deprived of an unfettered debate and vote on campaign finance reform legislation.

Late Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., expressed irritation with the Democrats, saying he is disinclined to bring up the highway bill until early next year.

In announcing an agreement to take up campaign finance reform no later than March 6, Lott and his Democratic counterpart, Tom Daschle, S.D., both exuded a bipartisan goodwill that has been scarce in recent weeks.

The Senate has accomplished precious little since its August recess, largely because all 45 Senate Democrats have been blocking virtually all floor action - except for the 13 must-do annual appropriations bills - until Republicans would agree to allow unrestricted consideration of campaign finance reform legislation.

“We have won the battle to get the debate on the table,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said. “Now we have to win the debate to get big, unregulated money out of our campaigns.”

Earlier this month, Lott allowed a campaign finance reform bill proposed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russell D. Feingold, D-Wis., to come up for debate. But using a legislative ploy, Lott effectively blocked action on the measure.

After a couple days of debate, Lott declared a stalemate and yanked the bill, prompting the Democratic protests that have tied up the Senate in knots.

The McCain-Feingold bill would end unlimited “soft-money” contributions and impose other restrictions on campaign fund-raising.

All 45 Senate Democrats and four Republicans are co-sponsors of the measure, but they need 60 votes to overcome a certain filibuster.

Among those who renewed their unalterable opposition to the McCain-Feingold measure were Lott and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. They vowed to prevent its enactment.

“McCain-Feingold is the wrong thing to do. … It’s unconstitutional,” Lott said.

“Philosophically, we’re just not in the same place,” McConnell said, referring to the bill’s backers. “This is an argument about principles. … And we have very deep-seated differences.”

He and Lott argued that the bill’s proposed contribution limits would violate the First Amendment and free speech.

McCain and Feingold expressed the hope the scheduling breakthrough will lead to “serious negotiations” with Lott, McConnell and others to craft a reform package that wins passage.

When the Senate does again take up campaign reform, the first order of business will be a measure to be offered by Lott or an as-yet unspecified surrogate. Next, McCain is to be recognized to offer his plan as an amendment.

The most likely first vote, then, would be a motion to kill the McCain-Feingold amendment. Even if that proposal survived, Lott said, he will have no shortage of legislative tools with which to eventually kill the measure.

Feingold and Daschle said they were happy with the arrangement. “Our key priority is to have an up-or-down vote on McCain-Feingold,” Daschle said. “This will give us an opportunity to have a good debate.”