Panetta Assails GOP Plan to Set Damages Limits
White House Chief of Staff Leon E. Panetta criticized a Republican plan to set federal limits on lawsuit damages, saying Sunday it would usurp authority that belongs to the states.
On ABC-TV’s “This Week With David Brinkley,” Panetta said President Clinton “for a long time has felt that the states ought to have jurisdiction over these issues.”
And in today’s editions, the New York Times reported that the Administration will vigorously oppose the GOP legislation, which will reach the House floor this week.
Panetta said Republicans contradicted their dedication to states’ rights in seeking a national set of laws on product liability and limits on awards to injured people.
“They’re talking about giving the states greater flexibility on welfare, they’re talking about sending school nutrition programs back to the states, but when it comes to . . . tort laws and protecting consumers, they’re willing to have the federal government tell the states what to do,” Panetta said.
Opponents say the legislation would block legal redress for citizens harmed by defective products.
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