[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 5, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
         EXECUTIVE-LEGISLATIVE CONSULTATIONS IN FOREIGN POLICY

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, there is no question that the 
Clinton administration has faced some stormy weather in its handling of 
certain foreign policy and national security problems. I serve on the 
Committee on Foreign Relations and I see these problems on a daily 
basis.
  One of the underlying causes of President Clinton's foreign policy 
problems is rooted in a failure to adequately consult and communicate 
with Congress on a timely basis--particularly with the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee, ably led by my good friend from Rhode Island, the 
distinguished Senator Claiborne Pell. I know he is deeply committed to 
good relations between branches, and he has labored mightily under both 
Republican and Democratic administrations to bring this about during 
his tenure as chairman of our committee.
  Mr. President, somewhere along the line consultations on significant 
foreign policy and arms control matters has faltered. Last year, when 
the administration suddenly decided to alter key provisions of the ABM 
Treaty, no one from our committee was consulted. We were informed after 
a National Security Council staff member was already negotiating with 
the Russians in Geneva. This year, when the Pentagon and to a lesser 
extent the State Department were in the midst of their nuclear posture 
review, again the committee--which has jurisdiction over arms control 
matters--was neither consulted nor informed.
  And just yesterday we all learned that the administration has agreed 
to lift missile proliferation sanctions against the Chinese. I am still 
studying the details, but I am uneasy that another decision of this 
magnitude was undertaken without any prior consultations with members 
of the Foreign Relations Committee.
  Yesterday I requested a letter from the National Security Council 
urging that the administration make a stronger effort at consultations 
than they have to date. Today I received a response from Sandy Berger, 
the Deputy National Security Advisor, which I request unanimous consent 
to print in the Record at this point.

                                              The White House,

                                  Washington, DC, October 5, 1994.
     Hon. Paul Simon,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Simon: The Administration is committed to 
     maintaining close consultations with the Congress on major 
     foreign policy and national security issues, but 
     consultations between the Executive and the Legislative 
     branches are never perfect. In particular on the ABM Treaty 
     demarcation discussions and the Nuclear Posture Review, 
     consultations were not held with the Senate Foreign Relations 
     Committee. We are working to assure that this does not occur 
     again.
       We are committed to a regular dialogue with the Committee 
     on all foreign policy and security issues and will make 
     special efforts to improve serious two-way communication on 
     arms control issues.
           Sincerely,

                                             Samuel R. Berger,

                                 Deputy Assistant to the President
                                    for National Security Affairs.

  Mr. SIMON. The second paragraph of Mr. Berger's letter, frankly, 
falls short of the mark, but I am pleased that the administration has 
made a renewed pledge to engage in sincere and timely consultations 
with the Committee on Foreign Relations before Presidential decisions 
are made, especially in the field of arms control and nonproliferation. 
I assume that is what is meant by ``special efforts to improve serious 
two-way communication on arms control issues.'' For two-way 
communication to work, Congress has to be engaged early in the 
process--not after NSC staffers board planes for Geneva.

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