ARCHIVE
Capitol Hill Workshop
The 103rd Congress - Archive Edition
April 4-6, 1994
The Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association Presents
Capitol Hill Workshop:
The New Realities and Old Dilemmas Facing the Federal Executive
Held at The Capitol Hill Club.
This Public Policy Workshop examines how the new political, economic, and social realities are altering the policies and processes of government. It is important for federal senior managers and executives to clearly understand how current institutional responses to these realities in the Executive and Legislative Branches are shaping the mission of the federal agencies in the coming years.
The clash of democracy is seen everywhere on Capitol Hill. Congress is the sounding board upon which clashing viewpoints reverberate - decisions are made and decisions are avoided. As the 103rd Congress enters its second year, we will witness an intensifying debate on U.S. public policy as the legislature attempts to define, prioritize and address urgent and complex domestic and international issues.
Although the Constitution established the Legislative Branch of government as the principal policy organ, historical evolutions have tended to make the President the prime initiator and coordinator of domestic and international policy, as well as the foremost mobilizer for public support. In this respect, Presidents and their Administrations have become the central focus for both public discontent and national celebration. As the same time, Congress now has bureaucratic resources and political agendas that often cause it to operate as an alternative government.
Recent international events continue to trouble the Administration. Heartened by the prospect of peace between Israel and the PLO, policymakers must still cope with the turmoil in Russia, the emergence of ethnic rivalries and conflict in Eastern Europe, and the continuing economic and trade conflicts with the European Union and Japan. From North Korea to Bosnia to Somalia, the United States has again, reluctantly, been drawn into the center of world events. As usual, the President is expected to focus an appropriate American response, and to do so within the framework of continuing domestic concerns.
The budget agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have passed. Timing, tenacity, political skills, ample use of the Presidential bully pulpit, and a benign Republican leadership position were most certainly the deciding factors in these victories. But whether or not these victories will translate into continuing successes in areas such as health care and welfare reform remains to be seen. With limited resources and the prospect of continuing budget deficits, the debate over which direction - the country should take continues - and the public, the parties, and the experts are as divided as ever.
The current catchword is "reinventing government," and the emphasis is on "restructuring" and "change." If restructuring is actually to occur, the Administration must mobilize support from a Congress preoccupied with local constituent demands and not yet fully committed to the Clinton effort. How Congress cooperates or impedes the Executive Branch in addressing its agenda will come under the scrutiny of an increasingly impatient and demanding electorate. The problems are urgent and the electorate too volatile and anxious for political business as usual.
The debate concerning the adequacy of our representative institutions - brought sharply into focus during the 1992 election - can only intensify. Senior personnel must be prepared to face these new realities and be equipped to articulate, plan, and budget in such a way so as to build a new consensus that will meet national objectives and secure stable public support.
Speakers & Topics
Reinventing Government: New Initiatives and Old Dilemmas: Robert S. Wood, Director, Strategic Studies Group; Dean, Center for Naval Warfare Studies, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island; Former Faculty Member, Harvard University and the University of Virginia
Governance and Public Opinion: Karlyn Keene Bowman, Editor American Enterprise Magazine; Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Defense vs. the Domestic Agenda: The New Priorities: Lawrence J. Korb, Director, Center for Public Policy Education, Brookings Institution; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Reagan; Author of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: The First 25 Years
Reorganizing the Military: Future Roles and Missions: Colonel Harry Summers, USA (Ret.), Syndicated Columnist, Los Angeles Times; Editor, Vietnam Magazine; Lecturer and Consultant on Military and Strategic Affairs
Crises and Challenges in the New Global Security Environment: Robert Hunter, U.S. Ambassador to NATO; Former Vice-President for Regional Programs and Director of European Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Former National Security Council Staff Member under President Carter
The Globalization of Economic Life: American Institutions at Risk: Jack Blum, Attorney and Partner - Lobel, Novins, Lamont and Flug; Has testified before various Senate Committee Hearings
U.S. Politics and Public Policy: An Assessment From Abroad: Martin Walker, Journalist and Author; U.S. Bureau Chief and Former Moscow Bureau Chief, The Guardian (London); Regular Commentator on CNN, CBC, C-Span, CBS-TV, NPR
A Current Assessment of the Turmoil in Russia: Vladislav Droblov, Correspondent for the United States and Canada, and Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Pravda
The Politics of health: Current Health Care Issues and Challenges: Julie Rovner, Contributing Editor, Medical News Network; Free-lance Health Journalist
Leadership and the Balance of Power: The President and the 103rd Congress: Steven V. Roberts, Senior Writer, U.S. News & World Report; Former White House Correspondent, The New York Times; Guest Commentator, Washington Week in Review
Lobbying in the 1990s: The New Rules of the Game: Tom Korologos, President, Timmons and Company, Lobbyist for the national Rifle Association and Major League Baseball
The Press and U.S. Public Policy: Eleanor Clift, White House Correspondent, Newsweek Magazine; Regular Panelist, The McLaughlin Group
Leadership on the Potomac: An Assessment: Senator George McGovern, President, Middle East Policy Council; Former Senator from South Dakota and Democratic Presidential Candidate
Leadership on the Potomac: Another Assessment: Jay Bryant, Producer of At Issue, CNBC; Former Assistant to the Governor of Illinois: Former Communications Director, National Republican Congressional Committee
The Politics of Change: The New Realities of the Washington Power Structure: Robert F. Delaney, Former Director, Edward R. Murrow Center of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; Former Milton Miles Chair of International Relations at the U.S. Naval War College
The Budget Battle That Never Ends - Will You Be Hit with More Cutbacks This Year?: Allen Schick, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution; Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland School of Public Affairs; Author of Congress and Money and Crisis in the Budget Process
Consumerism and American Politics: Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate; Author of Unsafe At Any Speed
The Constitution and Representation in Government: The American Experience: Mark Talisman, Director, Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Fund; Senior Lecturer, JFK School of Government and Boston University Washington Semester Program
