Inaugural Committee Drops $100,000 Donation Minimum

WASHINGTON — The Presidential Inaugural Committee planning next month’s festivities for President-elect George Bush has decided to drop a controversial $100,000 minimum on private donations, spokesman Ed Cassidy said today.

“The committee simply never anticipated the number of people or corporations that would want to participate in this sponsorship program at various levels. We’ve been overwhelmed,” Cassidy explained.

Under the sponsorship program, contributions must be linked to specific inaugural activities such as a children’s festival or the parade. Cassidy refused to say exactly how many corporations and individuals were seeking to contribute less than the $100,000 or what the lowest offer had been.

The $100,000 minimum was initially prompted by the 60-day time frame in which the committee had to complete its work, he said.

It was decided that “our emphasis had to be on inaugural planning--not on structuring an administratively complex sponsorship program,” Cassidy said.

The $100,000 minimum had been criticized as giving wealthy corporations a way to curry favor with the incoming Administration. There is no disclosure requirement for private donations, and inaugural officials have said they do not plan to release detailed lists of contributors.