From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Sane/Freeze Report 1/7/93
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 08:10:45 GMT

/** sf.lobby: 112.0 **/
** Topic: S/F Weekly Report 1-7-93 **
** Written  9:21 am  Jan  7, 1993 by sfnatldc in cdp:sf.lobby **
 
WEEKLY WASHINGTON REPORT
For The Week Of January 7, 1993
 
     The Weekly Legislative Report is updated on the second
business day of each week by SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global
Security and the SANE/FREEZE Education Fund. This report is based
on the political objectives adopted by the 1992 SANE/FREEZE:
Campaign for Global Security National Congress.
 
     Please help us by reporting your lobbying activities to Burt
Glass or Ira Shorr at (202) 862-9740, by fax at (202) 862-9762, by
PeaceNet mail message to "sfnatldc," or by written report (form
available from legislative office) to SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for
Global Security, attn.: Weekly Washington Report, 1819 H Street,
NW, Suite 640, Washington, D.C., 20006-3603.
 
START II AGREEMENT REACHED
 
     President Bush and Russian President Bush signed an agreement
Sunday, January 3, to reduce the number of nuclear warheads between
their two countries to no more than 6,500 - removing from service
more than two-thirds of the warheads deployed in 1990.
 
     The treaty, if ratified by the Senate and the Russian
parliament, would eliminate the destabilizing multi-warhead land
missiles from both sides. The reductions may be fully realized by
the year 2000 if the United States pays for part of the Russian
disarmament. The Senate is expected to approve the treaty this
year, but passage in the Russian parliament is no certainty in
light of its current political divisions.
 
     ACTION: Write the Russian embassy and voice your support for
the "START II" treaty: Embassy of Russian, attn.: Igor Nevorov,
1125 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.
 
KEY HOUSE COMMITTEES NAMED
 
     The House has named new committee members for the 103rd
Congress. Following is a near complete listing of committees of
interest to the peace community, with members listed in order of
seniority:
 
     House Armed Services Committee (33-22, with two vacancies):
Democrats - Aspin (WI, chair, soon to be replaced by Dellums),
Montgomery (AL), Dellums (CA, probable chair), Schroeder (CO),
Hutto (FL), Skelton (MO), McCurdy (OK), Lloyd (TN), Sisisky (VA),
Spratt (SC), McCloskey (IN), Ortiz (TX), Hochbrueckner (NY),
Pickett (VA), Lancaster (NC), Evans (IL), Bilbray (NV), Tanner
(TN), Browder (AL), Taylor (MS), Abercrombie (HI), T. Andrews (ME),
Edwards (TX), D. Johnson (GA), Tejeda (TX), Mann (OH), Stupak (MN),
Meehan (MA), Underwood (Guam), Harman (CA), McHale (PA)...
 
     Republicans - Spence (SC, ranking member), Stump (AZ), Hunter
(CA), Kasich (OH), Bateman (VA), Hansen (UT), Weldon (PA), Kyl
(AZ), Ravenel (SC), Dornan (CA), Hefley (CO), Machtley (RI), Saxton
((NJ), Cunningham (CA), Inhofe (OK), Buyer (IN), Torkildsen (MA),
Fowler (FL), McHugh (NY), Talent (MO), Everett (AL), Bartlett (MD).
 
     Foreign Affairs Committee (26-18, with three vacancies):
Democrats - Lee Hamilton (IN, chair), Gejdenson (CT), Lantos (CA),
Torricelli (NJ), Berman (CA), Ackerman (NY), Johnston (FL), Engel
(NY), Faleomavaega (Am. Samoa), Oberstar (MN), Schumer (NY),
Martinez (CA), Borski (PA), Payne (NJ), R. Andrews (NJ), Menendez
(NJ), S. Brown (OH), McKinney (GA), Cantwell (WA), Hastings (FL),
Fingerhut (OH), Deutsch (FL), Wynn (MD)...
 
     Republicans - Gilman (NY, ranking member), Goodling (PA),
Leach (IA), Roth (WI), Snowe (ME), Hyde (IL), Bereuter (NE), Smith
(NJ), Burton (IN), Meyers (KS), Gallegly (CA), Ros-Lehtinen (FL),
Ballenger (NC), Rohrbacher (CA), Levy (NY), Manzullo (IL), Diaz-
Balart (FL), Royce (CA).
 
     Also, Rep. Martin Sabo (D-MN) beat out Rep. John Spratt (D-SC)
for the chair of the Budget Committee by a vote Wednesday of 149-
112.
 
FRESH(WO)MEN SENATORS NAMED TO SOME COMMITTEES
 
     The Democratic Party Steering Committee announced yesterday a
series of freshwoman and freshman appointments to Senate
committees, though there may be other appointments to follow:
 
     Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL): Judiciary Committee and the
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Ben Nighthorse
Campbell (D-CO): Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Banking,
Housing and Urban Affairs; Patty Murray (D-WA): Appropriations
Committee, Ethics Committee, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Committee; Diane Feinstein (D-CA): Appropriations Committee,
Judiciary Committee...
 
      Harlen Mathews (D-TN), who replaced Sen. Al Gore: Energy and
Natural Resources Committee, Foreign Relations Committee; Barbara
Boxer (D-CA): Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Russ
Feingold (D-WI): Foreign Relations Committee, Agriculture
Committee; Robert Krueger (D-TX), to replace Sen. Lloyd Bentsen:
Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
 
CABINET CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
 
     President-elect Clinton's department secretaries will have a
major influence over peace and justice issue, and unlike the Reagan
and Bush cabinet members, their ears may be open to the SANE/FREEZE
message.
 
     The Senate begins this week to conduct confirmation hearings
for these posts, and the questions they ask will provide the public
with an insight as to how key administration officials will act
after the inauguration. Hearings for Defense Secretary-designate
Les Aspin are scheduled for Thursday, January 7, hearings for
Secretary of State-designate Warren Christopher are scheduled for
January 13-14, and hearings for Energy Secretary-designate Hazel
O'Leary are scheduled for January 19.
 
     Following are the names of a few high-level administration
officials named so far:
 
     Economic Policy: Lloyd Bentsen (Treasury), Leon Panetta (OMB
Director), Robert Rubin (Chair, National Economic Council), Laura
D'Andrea Tyson (Chair, Council of Economic Advisers), Robert Reich
(Labor) Ronald Brown (Commerce), Mickey Kantor (U.S. Trade
Representative).
 
     Foreign/Defense Policy: Warren Christopher (State), Les Aspin
(Defense), Anthony Lake (National Security Adviser), R. James
Woolsey (CIA), Madeline Albright (UN Ambassador).
 
     Domestic Policy: Zoe Baird (Attorney General), Donna Shalala
(Housing and Urban Development), Jesse Brown (Veterans), Richard
Riley (Education) Federico Pena (Transportation).
 
     Natural Resources: Hazel O'Leary (Energy), Carol Browner
(EPA), Bruce Babbitt (Interior), Mike Espy (Agriculture).
 
     ACTION: Call or write Senators on the Foreign Relations
Committee and ask them to ask Mr. Christopher about his plans to
curtail the international trade in conventional weapons, since the
United States is currently the world's leading weapons exporter.
Some key Foreign Relations Committee members: Pell (D-RI), Biden
(D-DE), Sarbanes (D-MD), Kerry (D-MA), Simon (D-IL), Moynihan (D-
NY), Wofford (D-PA), Jeffords (R-VT).
 
     ACTION: Call or write Senators on the Energy and Natural
Resources Committee and ask them to ask Ms. O'Leary whether or not
she believes further nuclear tests are needed following the current
moratorium, and if so, how many and why. Some key Energy and
Natural Resources Committee members: Dale Bumpers (D-AR), Mark
Hatfield (R-OR), Bill Bradley (NJ) and Paul Wellstone (MN).
 
NUCLEAR TESTING
 
     Several strategies for Congressional and administration action
are emerging to follow up on last year's successful enactment of a
nine-month moratorium on nuclear weapons tests, but many
Congressional leaders are waiting until Clinton's team is in place
and they have had a chance to meet with them before they introduce
legislation. An early focus has been placed on the State Department
to pressure its leadership to re-start the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty talks junked by President Reagan early in his term. After
talks were underway, the focus would shift to extending the
moratorium so as to strengthen negotiations toward a CTB.
 
     Other activists hope to amend the Partial Test Ban Treaty to
"make it comprehensive" through an amendment conference later this
year. Others believe a CTB is best achieved through the UN
Conference on Disarmament, which recently finished multilateral
negotiations to eliminate chemical weapons.
 
NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION
 
     President-elect Clinton has made it clear that nuclear
proliferation will be one his top foreign policy agenda items this
year, and it is likely that Congress will follow his lead. Clinton
will have to balance economic concerns, championed by the Commerce
Department and regions heavily dependent on military production,
with security concerns, championed by Defense (probably) and
perhaps State.
 
     For its part, Congress may reconsider the comprehensive non-
proliferation bill introduced last session by Sen. John Glenn (D-
OH), which died in a "pre-1992-adjournment gridlock." Stronger
measures, similar to last year's "Title III," may be brought before
the House by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) and others. Congress may also
consider boosting money for the UN's International Atomic Energy
Agency.
 
CONVENTIONAL ARMS TRANSFERS
 
     Because Clinton is on record as supporting the F-15 fighter
sale to Saudi Arabia and the F-16 sale to Taiwan, it is likely
these major transfers will be completed. However, renewed interest
in this issue from the media and within Congress may force the
introduction of legislation improving Congressional oversight of
arms sales, possibly by increasing the period time in which
Congress is to be notified of major transfers. Also, non-binding
resolutions criticizing accelerated arms transfers are likely to be
introduced.
 
CONGRESSIONAL CALENDAR
 
     January 8-19: House and Senate in recess
     January 13-15: Signing of Chemical Weapons Convention in Paris
     January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday
     January 20: Inauguration Day
     January 21: Deadline for Pengagon report on Star Wars
     February 1: Scheduled date for submission of FY 94 budget
     March 1: Deadling for Administration report on nuclear testing

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