The Nation - News from May 4, 1988

Random drug-testing would be required for government employees ranging from White House Chief of Staff Howard H. Baker Jr. down to secretaries and butlers under plans unveiled by 24 federal agencies. The plans, which were presented formally to Congress, brought an immediate threat of legal action from a group of Justice Department attorneys who said they planned to sue the department in an attempt to overturn the program. The Justice Department and the other federal agencies disclosed details of their drug-testing plans following reviews by the Department of Health and Human Services. Many of the various testing plans already have been blocked by court suits.