Western Front - 1975 October 21

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Almost too often the sunsets over BeOingham Bay make it seem worthwhile for Western's evening students to be a few minutes late to class.
'Lots of bills but too many vetoes' say Reps.
by MARSHALL BROWN
National elections are over a year away, but
political drums were sounding at a press
conference held by Washington state's seven
Congressmen at the Leopold Inn at noon on
Friday.
Charges by the Ford Administration that
Congress has been a. "do-nothing" body were
disputed by the panel of representatives,
including lone Republican Joel Pritchard. He said
he would give Congress an "A rating."
The conference was part of a statewide
consensus finding and fact giving tour by the
Congressmen. Bellingham was the tour's second
to last stop.
Tom Foley (5th Dist.) laid any federal
do-nothingness back on the White House.
"We have passed many important bills," Foley
said. "Some have become law, but many have
been vetoed. President Ford has vetoed 37 bills in
13 months.
. «Foley, 45, is chairman of the House Agricul­ture
Committee. He is the youngest full committee
chairman in the Congress.
200 Mile Fishing Limit
Pritchard (1st Dist.) told the conference that a
bill establishing a 200 mile offshore fishing
boundary has a good chance of being signed by
Ford after it clears the Senate.
The House approved the bill recently just
before recessing for Columbus Day.
Freshman Congressman Don Bonker (3rd
Dist.) disagreed.
"There will probably be a veto," he said. He
added, however, that he thought there would be
enough votes to override a veto.
Bonker said Ford would veto the bill on
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's advice that
the matter should be handled by the interna­tional
Law of the Seas Conference.
Bonker also said it is hard for the U.S. to
impose a 200 mile limit while encouraging
American tuna fishermen to disregard 200 mile
limits set by South American nations.
"It is in the best interests of the U.S. to move
now," Pritchard said. The South American limit
differs from ours because theirs is territorip.
awhile ours is an economical measure, he said.
Energy
Much of the conference was spent in covering
the energy issue. The panel addressed the issue
both directly and as a probabaly presidential
election issue next year.
Mike McCormack (7th Dist.) clarified a
popular misconception about who uses hydro­electric
power produced in the Northwest.
"We've been sharing power with the South-
PRESS CONFERENCE — Rep. Tom Foley [left] points the blame
toward the White House for vetoing 37 bills in 13 months. Rep.
Lloyd Meeds [right] looks on.
west for years. It's nothing new," he said.
McCormack, introduced by Rep. Lloyd Meeds
(2nd Dist.) as "Mr. Energy in Congress," said the
Northwest shares power during the summer,"
when they (the Southwest) need it for air
conditioning and all that." The Southwest,,.in^.Utiii •.
turn, shares power with the Northwest during
winter, he said.
McCormack said the President has not been
fair when talking to the American people about
his energy program and the Congress' lack of a
plan.
McCormack cited several bills, such as the
strip mining and housing insulation acts, which
have been passed by Congress and vetoed by
Ford.
"On every aspect of the energy issue, the
President and the Office of Budget Management
have dragged their feet," McCormack said. The
administration has even failed to put generators
on existing dams on the Columbia and Snake
Rivers, he said.
"Energy policy is not just oil price decontrol,
it's a very complicated issue," said McCormack.
State Initiatives Sidestepped
The Congressmen sidestepped questions deal­ing
with the death penalty and corporate income
tax initiatives that will appear on Washington's
November ballot.
After Meeds reaffirmed his opposition to the
death penalty, Rep. Foley said he thought it
would be improper for the panel to discuss local
issues.
"If we all gave our positions, it would appear
as a Congressional delegation stand," Foley said.
He did say he agreed with Meeds, however. No
other panelists spoke about the issues.
National Health Care
Brock Adams (6th Dist.) said national health
insurance will be a major campaign issue next
year, but that he doubted any legislation on it
would get to the floor in Congress.
Adams is the newly elected chairman of the
joint Congressional Budget Committee. He was
picked by the House Democratic Caucus.
Adams' views were echoed by Meeds.
"The type of health care plan is the issue, not
whether or not one should be passed," Meeds
said. "Right now, there just isn't enough money.
"There are funds available, though, to start
reorganization of medical services in the U.S."
After the press conference, the congressmen
joined a $5-a-plate lunch sponsored by the
'^Bellingham Chamber of Commerce.