[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H11689-H11690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




WHY WOULD THE PRESIDENT SHUT THE GOVERNMENT DOWN OVER A ROAD BYPASS IN 
                             SOUTHERN OHIO?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I knew the administration 
was throwing its weight around on the budget agreement, but I simply 
could not believe it when I read in yesterday's USA Today that the 
President of the United States was willing to shut the Federal 
Government down over a road bypass in the State of Ohio.
  So I tried to find out what all the fuss was about. I learned that 
there was a provision in the Omnibus budget bill that would have helped 
southern Ohio leverage existing State and Federal dollars, and I 
stress, existing, to fund six high-priority Appalachian Ohio projects. 
Even better, the so-called highway redesignation did not cost one dime 
more. We are talking about no money involved in this provision.
  Then I find out that this particular highway provision has the full 
support of the Ohio Governor, George Voinovich; the Ohio Department of 
Transportation; local elected officials in 30 community and business 
groups across southern Ohio. So I asked myself, why was the White House 
willing to shut the Federal Government down on a highway designation 
that helped southern Ohio?
  Apparently, Mr. Speaker, the White House has a political reason for 
opposing this small highway provision and threatening a government 
shutdown. I have a copy here of the actual letter from Erskine Bowles, 
the Chief of Staff of the President, to our Speaker stating pointblank 
that the President would shut down the government over this one small 
Ohio highway provision.
  Mr. Speaker, I just cannot understand why this White House is willing 
to play such high-stakes political hardball over a simple Ohio bypass.

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