Makah Tribe Opens Sooes River Chinook Fishery To Sport Fishermen

NEAH BAY (Sept. 3, 2002) — Good returns of Sooes River chinook mean the Makah Tribe will again offer sport anglers the chance to catch one of the prized fish beginning Aug. 20 in Neah Bay.

Twenty years ago, there were only 150 fish returning to the river to spawn. This year, more than 4,000 will return to the National Fish Hatchery.

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Federal Update: Appropriations

APPROPRIATIONS

The Senate is on the verge of a deal on a $35 billion budget savings package after months of negotiations, but the House’s pursuit of a bigger package of spending cuts will likely complicate Republican leaders’ ability to reach a bicameral agreement. House GOP leaders are struggling to find the votes for further budget cuts proposed by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-IL, as authorizing committees continue to produce their recommendations for achieving the savings. The Senate Budget Committee is assembling the savings proposals into a single bill. Under rules of the budget reconciliation process, the panel cannot make substantive changes to the proposals of the authorizing committees. The package will then go to the floor for 20 hours of debate and there will likely be attempts to amend it, particularly by Democrats aiming to get GOP lawmakers on the record as voting to slice popular programs. However, if the package complies with the reconciliation instructions outlined in the budget resolution (H Con Res 95) adopted in April, Democrats will not be able to filibuster the budget bill. The budget resolution also outlined a $70 billion tax cut reconciliation bill. Since no Democrats are expected to support the budget-cutting bill, success in the Senate will hinge on GOP moderates. During the Senate vote on the budget resolution in April, three Republicans defected; Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and Ohioans Mike DeWine and George V. Voinovich. Chafee said he would oppose both the tax cut and the spending cut bills. “It’s bad timing to be doing tax cuts and then put pressure on social programs,” he said. Voinovich, who has questioned the need for more tax cuts, said he was inclined to vote for the savings bill. “I’m a fiscal hawk, so my tendency is to vote for it,” he said. Seven Republicans also have voted to oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and are under pressure from environmental groups to vote against a package that includes drilling. Senate leaders can lose up to five GOP votes on the final tally, with Vice President Dick Cheney breaking a tie vote.