Nation: Carter Fires a Salvo

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He hands Congress a veto—and threatens more

A veto is a prerogative that a President is given under the Constitution. It is not an abnormal authority. It is one that should be a routine part of the interrelationship between the White House and Capitol Hill. And it is not only a pleasure to have that authority to make my own leverage more effective, but it is a duty that falls on me."

With that defiant challenge to his antagonists in Congress, Jimmy Carter vetoed his first major bill last week —only the fifth time he has exercised this power since he became President 19 months ago. He also warned that there might be more vetoes to follow; and there were ample indications that he planned to use all the other political weapons in the presidential arsenal to make Congress do his bidding. A tougher, more aggressive President was clearly emerging; his subordinates were threatening rebellious members of Congress with a loss of patronage and a withdrawal of crucial assistance in their re-election campaigns. "There is a misreading up on Capitol Hill," said a senior White House aide, justifying the presidential shift. "A lot of people in Congress don't think Carter is a strong President. A veto like this is traumatic, but it will help us in the long run."

Carter carefully chose his ground for making a stand. He did not really have to veto the $37 billion military procurement bill, which was an authorization for spending, not a final appropriation. He could have bargained with Congress for what he wanted before the final bill was passed. But he was determined to make a public issue out of the $2 billion nuclear aircraft carrier that Congress had included in the bill over his objections.

Claiming that a fifth such carrier was not needed, he maintained that its huge cost would divert funds needed for the buildup of NATO forces. The nuclear carrier, he said, would "waste the resources available for defense and weaken our nation's military capabilities in the future." Congressional leaders seemed to agree that he was right. They predicted that, despite the lobbying for the carrier by Carter's onetime mentor Hyman Rickover and other admirals, the veto would be sustained. Said House Majority Leader James Wright: "I voted for that carrier, but I thought the President made a good case." Agreed Liberal Democrat Morris Udall: "The big carrier has been a kind of sacred cow, and I credit the President with wise leadership on this."

In his press conference last week, Carter cited other bills as likely candidates for a veto. The most important is the $16.3 billion tax cut passed by the House earlier this month. If that reduction is increased by the Senate, or if higher income groups get most of the benefits, Carter said, he would "have no hesitancy about vetoing it." White House aides are now engaged in quiet negotiations with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Russell Long, who favors a bigger tax cut. As one Administration official says: "I don't think anyone can tell you what Russell will do in the end."