Packwood to Leave Senate by End of Month

Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.), yielding to Democrats incensed by his continued leadership role and even his presence in the Senate in the wake of his announced resignation, stepped down Friday as chairman of the Finance Committee and agreed to leave the chamber by Oct. 1.

Both decisions were recommended by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), who had argued as recently as Thursday night that Packwood deserved 60 days or more to get his affairs in order before quitting the Senate.

Sen. William V. Roth Jr. (R-Del.), 74, will succeed Packwood as chairman of the finance panel. “There was never any doubt about that,” a Dole spokesman said.

In Roth, the committee will have a leader who has supported a number of Clinton Administration priorities and who is expected to improve chances that the Senate will pass the tax-cut package already approved by the House. Packwood has been wary of tax-cut proposals.

“As someone who went through the 1994 election cycle, I heard the voice and will of the American people loud and clear,” Roth said. “I know that Americans want real tax reform.”

Packwood, 62, announced his resignation Thursday after the Senate Ethics Committee capped a three-year investigation by unanimously recommending his expulsion for sexual and official misconduct. He did not specify a departure date, however.

Dole said hours later on national television that Packwood should be given 60 days or “whatever it takes” to wrap up any unfinished business before leaving the institution of which he has been a part since 1969.

That timetable infuriated many Democrats, who found it unacceptable that Packwood would remain in charge of managing the important welfare-reform bill now pending before the Senate.

Friday morning, Democratic senators, many of whom oppose the GOP version of welfare reform, were incensed to find Packwood sitting in the chair normally reserved for the senator who will manage the bill on the floor.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) reacted swiftly, telling reporters that Packwood must step down immediately as chairman of the Finance Committee and leave the Senate within a couple of weeks. Without a firm timetable, some Democrats reportedly were prepared to force a vote on Packwood’s expulsion next week.

Dole moved quickly to defuse the issue, announcing that six other GOP senators would alternately manage the welfare-reform bill. He announced hours later that Packwood would quit the Senate by the end of the month. Until then, Packwood will be able to vote on legislation but will not be permitted to speak from the Senate floor.

The Democratic pressure demonstrated once again that the Packwood case has aggravated relations between the two parties in the Senate.

“This is unseemly,” fumed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), referring to the Democratic pressure tactics. “It’s like rubbing salt in a wound,” said Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn.).

An irate Sen. Trent Lott, the chamber’s majority whip, snapped: “Look, they better just ease off. This will be done properly and in a reasonable amount of time. We don’t need that kind of threat right out of the box.”

But Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) countered: “A lot of us thought he resigned yesterday. What was he doing out there on the floor managing a bill?”

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) called Packwood’s brief appearance as floor manager “absolutely outrageous.”

The pressure on Packwood to leave did not entirely break down along party lines. Asked when he thought Packwood should leave, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who oversaw the Packwood inquiry as chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, replied: “The end of the month would be a good idea.”

But Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) said he was troubled by the continued focus on Packwood. “I think we have to be a little gracious at this point,” he said.

The Clinton Administration also got into the act, with White House spokesman Mike McCurry telling reporters that “it would complicate the work of Congress if a senator who has resigned is in control” of the Finance Committee.

Roth has served in the Senate since 1971. He has been chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, but he will have to relinquish that post. The Governmental Affairs Committee has handled such high-profile GOP initiatives as the presidential line-item veto, regulatory reform, unfunded mandates and abolition of the Commerce Department.

In the last Congress, Roth supported a number of Administration priorities, such as the anti-crime measure, the Family and Medical Leave Act, legislation to restructure the Superfund toxic-waste cleanup law and the measure to impose a five-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns. Roth also backed the California Desert Protection Act, which brought new or in some cases added protection to vast parts of Eastern and Southern California.

On the other hand, Roth has been highly skeptical of the earned-income tax credit, which the Administration views as vital in the fight against poverty. Many Republicans want to cut back the credit, which provide tax breaks for low-income working families.

One unknown about Roth is how successfully he can lead a committee that handles such far-reaching social and economic issues. He has little expertise on Medicare and welfare, two leading GOP priorities this year.

Also on Friday, the Congressional Accountability Project, a watchdog group headed by Ralph Nader, urged the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tex.) had violated federal campaign laws. The group said that Packwood’s diaries raised questions about Gramm’s fund-raising practices.

Gramm, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, denied any wrongdoing in a letter to the committee.

The diary entry suggested that the two senators may have broken campaign-financing laws during a meeting to discuss $100,000 in contributions to the Oregon Republican Party.

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$89,000 Pension

Sen. Bob Packwood will receive an annual pension of $89,000 a year, effective upon his resignation. Until then he will continue to collect his monthly salary of $11,134. The only way to lose his pension would be if he were to be convicted of a national security crime or treason.

Source: Times Washington Bureau