The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 6

Washington The Atlanta Journal The Atlanta Constitution i CONGRESS: The First 100 Days fi ftjjuesfey, March 21 1995 Senator aims to shed light on first lady's deals- YESTERDAY IN CONGRESS DAY 83 Sjenate began debate on federal rulemaking moratorium. House in recess. TODAY IN WASHINGTON House: Considers Age Discrimination Employment Act amendments. Ethics committee considers complaint against Speaker Newt Gingrich. Numerous panel hearings.

Senate: In session. Numerous panel hearings, White House: President along with vice president comes fd 'Atlanta, addresses 1996 Olympic and Paralympic volunteers at vlhf0rum and attends reception for Southern Regional Economic Conference at Governor's Mansion. Supreme Court: Issues opinions. Hears arguments in cases dealing with random drug testing for secondary school athletes i and officers knocking and announcing authority and purpose entering premises with search warrant. I 111'.

i i i this story, but Lisa CaputOj press secretary for Mrs. Clinton, said she has already rer, leased some records of her commodity trades.) Faircloth is a member, of the Senate Committee Housing, Banking and Urban Affairs, which held Whitewater hearings last sum-, mer, and, with the exception of! chairman Alfonse D'Amalq he has been the most dogged investigator. He publicly opposed the appointment of Robert Fiske as the permanent Whitewater, special prosecutor, claiming he was too cozy with the Clin: he pushed hard to dis: close the details of the suicide of White House aide Vince Foster; and he has repeatedly accused administration officials of cover-ups Faircloth has called for investigations of several administration officials, particularly Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, and he has accused the Clintons of unprecedented cronyism. "He is the most ardent in the Senate to call for investigations of administration offi- cials, but it is interesting to point out that Mr. Faircloth has some questions of his own to answer," said Alex Benes of Washington's Center for Pub- lie Integrity.

i "He's an expletive. He doesn't know what he's talking" about," Faircloth replied. But appearances of conflict have arisen between Fair-' cloth as one of the biggest hog farmers in North Carolina and as senator and chairman of an' environmental subcommittee over wetlands regulations That is an important topic for farmers in low-lying eastern North Carolina. Faircloth's efforts to re duce penalties for violating wetlands rules prompted an environmental group to file an' ethics complaint against him The senator dismisses it as' frivolous. The senator also cospon-sored a bill for the Department of Agriculture to pur1 chase brucellosis infected hogs.

He says none of his hogs were involved, but news reports have noted that a packing firm Faircloth partly owns might have benefited. Last fall, Faircloth signed a letter with other farm-state senators urging Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy to subsidize pork sales to Eastern Europe. Faircloth denied he profited significantly from the subsidies but he concedes that "on second thought" he might not have signed the letter. Pugnacious farmer: A millionaire wheeler-dealer, Lauch Faircloth is seen as an unlikely crusader for ethics in government BA.L May STAFF WRITER Washington While most in Congress were focusing on the Contract With America last week, one senator was urging federal regulators to unveil contracts of a different kind the commodity trades of Hillary Rodham Clinton. It is not every day that members of Congress question the financial dealings of the first lady but Sen.

Lauch Faircloth a pugnacious millionaire hog farmer, is one of the toughest critics of President Clinton. In a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Faircloth asked for all records involving Mrs. Clinton from 1978-80. Her commodity trading in cattle futures with one Arkansas company, which turned a $1,000 investment into $100,000, has already become public. Faircloth, whose, first name is pronounced "lock," is seeking records involving at least four other companies, including the politically influential Stephens Inc.

of Little Rock. While he was ignored by the White House, Faircloth reminded everyone that after the "100 Days" legislative agenda of the GOP, comes the return of Whitewater hearings as early as this summer. The Republicans can use their control of Congress to delve into the Clintons' dealings in Arkansas and the allegations of cover-ups by Clinton aides. At the forefront will be Faircloth, an unlikely crusader for governmental ethics. He is a wheeler-dealer turned politician, a moderate Democrat turned conservative Republican, and a poorly educated farm boy turned self-taught historian.

While stiff before television cameras, he has an entertaining, if earthy, wit in private. "Vain, profane and a weather vane," said Harrison Hickman, a Washington pollster who worked for Faircloth when he was a Democratic candidate but against him when, as a Republican, Faircloth defeated Sen. Terry San-ford two years ago. RICK McKAY Washington Bureau Tough guy: Sen. Lauch Faircloth is known as a colorful character whose Whitewater pursuits are keeping the heat on the Clintons.

Duncan McLaughlin Faircloth Age: 65 Hometown: Clinton, N.C. Education: Roseboro High School Military service: Army, 1955. Family: Twice divorced; daughter Anne Faircloth, a writer for Fortune magazine. Occupation: Farmer and businessman; net worth estimated between $6 million to $12 million. Public service: N.C.

Highway Commission 1961-65 and 1969-73; N.C. Secretary of Commerce, 1977-83. Political career. Confidant to three Democratic governors of North Carolina; Terry Sanford, Bob Scott and Jim Hunt; unsuccessful 1984 Democratic candidate for governor; successful 1992 Republican candidate for Senate, defeating then Sen. Sanford.

On his political hero: "I think I knew all the politicians too well to have a hero." Smithsonian planning gala 150th year Smithsonian Institution will celebrate its 150th anniversa- typy packing up a hodgepodge of treasures George Washing-' ton's sword, the Apollo 14 command module, first ladies' gowns, ythe'ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" and taking them on "the road. Corporate sponsors are expected to foot the $100 million bill for the traveling show and other anniversary events throughout 1996, including TV specials and a birthday party on the National It also will be the first time that corporations are allowed to use tthe Smithsonian name and logo in their advertising if they ante up $10 million each. But Smithsonian Secretary I. Michael Hey- man said Monday there won't be any product endorsements such as the Official Walking Shoe of the Smithsonian. And ciga- rette- and beer-makers need not apply.

Corporate money is needed to allow the Smithsonian to make Jhe, events free to the public, just like the institution's museums in -Washington, Heyman said. tfj! CLINTON SKIN LESIONS REMOVED: Doctors removed skin lesions from President Clinton's face during his annual physical examination last week. "They are not but were removed as a precaution, Press Secretary Mike McCurry said. He said doctors removed several actinic keratoses from Clinton's forehead and one ear. Actinic keratoses are common skin lesions kmong middle-age people, usually caused by overexposure the sun.

Clinton's lesions were removed by freez-ing with liquid nitrogen, and the treatment left a large red blotch on his forehead. CALL HER 'HILLARY GUMP': First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton starred in a five-minute videotaped parody of "Forrest Gump" that was the hit of the Gridiron dinner laughfest over the weekend. "The White House is just like a box of chocolates," says the first lady, sitting on a park bench outside the White House. "Pretty on the outside and full of nuts inside." When she offers President Clinton a chocolate, he takes the whole box, then asks whether she has some french fries, too. The first lady was halfway around the world on a South Asia diplomatic mission, but the film rtble the show at the Gridiron Club's annual white-tie dinner for i politicians and the press corps.

ELSEWHERE The newly formed, conservative Coalition for America's hire began a national grass-roots and media campaign to prevent House Republicans from backsliding on promises to cut taxes, and' ''I it-Will spend up to $500,000 on TV and radio spots and jam Capitol Hill' switchboards before the House votes next week on tax cuts. Ousted House Historian Christina Jeffrey of Kennesaw Col-; lege spent less than a week on the job, but she cost taxpayers $1,652.78, according to House records. Confirmation hearings on the nomination of Dr. Henry Foster to be surgeon general will May 2, said Sen. Nancy Kassebaum chairman of Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, with only poster and lawmakers testifying.

fil IT'S A FACT of pushing pork subsidies. "I've been in public life since the early '50s," he said last week. "Needless to say, you get questions asked." But none of the questions, he said, had ever been "substantiated" as wrongdoing. And no question of impropriety raised at him, he said, compares to the possible sins of the Clintons, including conflicts of interest by Mrs. Clinton in her Arkansas law practice.

(White House officials declined to be interviewed for "You may not feel comfortable with him teaching your Sunday school class, but he's honest," said former Faircloth aide Vic Barfield, a Raleigh businessman. As a highway commissioner in North Carolina, he was accused of building roads through his property. As the state's commerce secretary he was criticized for using the state helicopter to commute home. As a senator who owns more than $20 million worth of hog farms, he's been accused the advent of the modern New Hampshire presidential -primary in 1952, every Republican winner except one Henry Lodge in 1964 went on to win his party's nomination. i Only five of the 11 Democratic winners became their party's Unkind? Not these cuts, says Clinton; SAY IT AGAIN ri "We're seeing all sorts of legislation coming at us like cream) rjies on a conveyer-belt." Rep.

Patricia Schroeder the legislation moving through the House. legislative process in the House of Representatives is no JOknger like watching sausage being made; it is like watching Char-- lie Chaplin catch cream pies coming off a high-speed conveyor i Belt." James Thurber of American University. i Highlights of proposed changes Federal Communications Commission: Raised $7.7 billion by auctioning broadcast frequencies for the new generation of mobile telephones. Until Congress gave it the authority, the agency gave away licenses to companies to use pieces of the public's airwaves. No positions were eliminated.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Restructure agency to conform with a smaller space program. The NASA field centers are designed for an annual mission of $20 billion, but will have a 1 3 billion space program budget by 2000. Under streamlining plans long in the works, two buyout offers encouraging early retirement already have caused more than 1 ,500 of NASA's 23,000 civil service workers to leave, and another 500 are expected to follow. Estimated savings: $8 billion and 2,000 positions. Interior Department: Eliminate the Minerals Management Service and transfer royalty collection duties to states and tribes.

Eliminate the office that deals with U.S. territories. Accelerate the transfer of Bureau of Indian Affairs programs to tribes. Transfer three Washington-area commuter highways to Maryland and Virginia. Allow current offshore oil and gas royalties to be purchased.

Estimated savings: $3.8 billion and 2,000 positions. Small Business Administration: Eliminate subsidies the government pays on loans, Imposing fees on lenders and borrowers. Consolidate field offices. Move more programs from headquarters to less costly field offices. Estimated savings: 1 .2 billion and 500 positions.

Federal Emergency Management Agency: Sign contracts with governors to reduce reporting requirements and make it easier to respond to disasters. Provide incentives to states to establish their own emergency funds. Require states to pay for uninsured public repairs equal to a deductible level established by the federal government. Estimated savings! $100 million and 305 positions. I quick look at today's activities involving 'House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia: SCHEDULE: 1 a.m.: Speech to American Medical Asso- -ciation.

a.m.: Speech to Family Research ipjuhcil. $42:30 p.m.: Speech to Center for Strategic Studies. I (J p.m.: Speech to Electronic Industries As- opfation. i 10 p.m.: Hourlong TV show. "The Progress $13 billion: Reinventing government, can save money without hurting people, the president says By Ron Fournier ASSOCIATED PRESS Washington President Clinton urged $13 billion in cuts at four federal agencies Monday, promoting them as proof the government can shrink "without a mean spirit or meat ax." More than half would come from NASA.

In a veiled rebuke of Republican budget plans, the president said the budget can be trimmed without slashing summer jobs, school drug programs or his national service initiative all targets of the GOP. "We can do it in a way that is humane and decent," Clinton said. He announced plans to consolidate, trim or eliminate programs at the Small Business Administration, Interior Department, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The effort would save $13.1 billion and eliminate 4,805 government positions in five years, the White House said. The space agency would provide the bulk of the totals, cutting $8 billion and 2,000 positions.

Flanked by agency heads, Clinton accepted an oversized check Monday for $7.7 billion made out to U.S. taxpayers. It represented money generated by the Fed-eraLCommunications Commission at auc- tions of broadcast frequencies for the new generation of mobile telephones. Under Vice President Al Gore's "reinventing government" project, the FCC sought authority to sell the rights, instead of giving them away. i 5r Although the sales were not included; in the $13 billion savings figure, Clinton-said they show government can be more profitable.

Many of the announced changes were previously publicized or were long in the, works, but the White House hopes to mote the reinventing government project by packaging agency plans together. The White House has accused Repiib'. licans of targeting school lunch, educa-. tion, jobs and anti-drug programs for children. Republicans, who are proposing much deeper cuts in the federal bureaucracy, 'say Clinton has not gone far enough.

1 Elaine Kamarck, staff director of reinventing government project, which is aimed at making government do more for less, urged reporters to compare Mon: day's announcement with Republican; cuts. "We are not looking to cut school i lunches to cut women, infants and children's food supplements," she said. Gore also promised compassion in cut'-' ting. "The government will pay," he "Not our children." Well before Monday's NASA had begun an agencywide evalua- tion, and Administrator Daniel Goldin an-" nounced plans to eliminate jobs at the' agency's 20 centers that are duplicative or, no longer needed. 'Report," on National Empowerment Television.

'M FORREST GINGRICH: Movie buff Gingrich has characterized 'Hollywood as "pathological" for turning out films such as "Natu-1 i Iral Born Killers," but even politicians can get caught up In Oscar fever. Gingrich, who missed the Academy Awards telecast due to a1 late budget meeting Monday night, lauded "Forrest Gump" as his! i favorite nominee and gave his vote to Tom Hanks for best actor. "To be able to do "Philadelphia" and then to be able to turn around and do "Forrest Gump" is an astonishing sign of what a great actor he is," Gingrich said. Compiled by Ernie Freda; contributing: Kathey Alexander, Bob Dart Gingrich cites Csdy Hospital as candidate for privatization D3.