Wimped out in Washington: as defeating terrorism takes precedence, the house's anthrax-scare freak-out could pale in comparison to when legislators first hear proposals to cut their special-interest programs

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 12, 2001 | by Jennifer G. Hickey

Once upon a time ground-up human remains, bird dung and baking soda shared no imaginable commonality and hardly ever struck fear into the hearts of our countrymen. But all now have been misperceived as anthrax in a country where the term biological warfare has become part of the terror lexicon and late-night monologues. Of course, how much this upsets you depends on how you look at life after Sept. 11.

It was evident the pharmaceutical company FLAVORx had found a silver-lined profit margin within the anthrax scare when it announced it would provide a flavored formulation "specifically targeted" to help children take anthrax-fighting antibiotics. Others were less well-intentioned.

Attorney General John Ashcroft outlined one such case at a press conference on Oct. 16. Appearing with FBI Director Robert Mueller, Ashcroft said charges would be brought against Joseph Faryniarz, an employee of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, for lying to federal officials about a case of alleged anthrax. The hoax incurred a cost of $1.5 million, Ashcroft said. Faryniarz faces a fine of as much as twice that amount and up to five years in prison.

Mueller and Ashcroft contend that they take every report seriously but urge Americans to balance caution with reason in handling their fears. Completely losing their balance were members of Congress when it was discovered that some staffers in the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) had been exposed to anthrax.

With 535 members of Congress and their large staffs spread throughout the U.S. Capitol complex, the primary means of alert is e-mail, and that was the method of communicating the news on Oct. 15. Many Capitol Hill staffers received the word of exposure before the networks got it on the air, but there was no panic. And there was no panic on Tuesday as staffs were tested for anthrax infection. Although heavy police presence, unprecedented security briefings and a maze of concrete barriers throughout the federal city had kept Sept. 11 fresh in people's minds, the wheels soon came off the wagon.

After a breakfast meeting with President George W. Bush before his departure for China, the congressional leadership returned to the Capitol with varying interpretations. Thus began a frenetic game of verbal ping-pong. The anthrax found in Daschle's office was "weapons grade" or it was not ... there was a threat made to the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) or there was not ... they agreed to adjourn or they did not.

By midday, Hastert had announced "the House will suspend its business on Thursday so precautionary environmental measures can be taken to test the entire Capitol campus." The Senate opted to remain in session, voting on one measure and trepidatiously holding scattered hearings and meetings.

The "wimp factor" was evident among some, making it harder to convince the American people that they should return to business as usual. More than illustrating the heightened nervousness and tension on Capitol Hill, the chaos underscored the need for a coordinated response beyond the knee-jerk appropriation of dollars.

The weight of that challenge will fall on the shoulders of Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, the former Pennsylvania governor who emerged during the anthrax haunting to hold his first press briefing. Ridge, who was flanked by William Winkenwerder -- just approved by the Senate as assistant secretary of defense for health affairs -- stressed that Bush had asked us all for a long-term commitment.

Meanwhile, with his mind on business management, Budget Director Mitch Daniels said the administration had sent two bills for consideration to Congress aimed at streamlining management and expediting reform. The Freedom to Manage Act of 2001 would establish a system under which department and agency heads could identify "statutory barriers to good management" and refer the problem to Congress. Also sent to the Hill was the Managerial Flexibility Act of 2001, which would help federal agencies and managers to attract, retain and manage personnel with an eye on performance standards and results. Never mind that neither proposal is likely to reach a legislative chamber stacked with appropriations bills.

Bumped off the docket this week was the $100 billion stimulus package, voted out of the House Ways and Means Committee on Oct. 12, before the anthrax adjournment. The measure contains a mix of temporary and permanent tax relief, including rebate checks of up to $600 for workers who did not receive them in Bush's first tax package and a provision permitting businesses to deduct current operating losses against taxes paid five years earlier (effectively cutting capital-gains taxes). House leadership has indicated this bill will be brought up shortly.

Anthrax, however, may not be the only obstacle in the way. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill indelicately signaled the administration's determination to keep the stimulus-package price tag below $75 billion. In addition, several Senate Republicans are concerned that the House measure is overloaded with spending and tax cuts that are not sufficiently focused on pump priming.