GINGRICH . . . MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY

Speaker Gingrich said today that if President Clinton follows through on his threat to veto key GOP legislation,the House will shut down parts of the federal government by denying appropriations. "You can veto whatever you want to, " he said in a speech before George business leaders. "But as of October 1, there is no government." Gingrich said that withholding funding for programs the Democrats care about would be a more effective tactic than trying simply to override Clinton's veto. "There's a lot of stuff we don't care if it's never funded," Gingrich said. Withholding the funds, Gingrich said, will force Clinton to reconsider and negotiate with Congress over issues likeRepublican welfare reformand arewrite of the Clean Water Act.