Scarcnet News Summaries (Advocacy Institute)
Likely Speaker Hastert Is Strong Ally Of Business
Length: pages
Abstract
The Republican caucus of the US House of Representatives is scheduled to meet today to elect the next Speaker of the House, and they are expected to choose Illinois Rep. Dennis Hastert. Hastert's voting record shows that he is a decidedly pro-business legislator, having received perfect 100 percent scores from interest groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business in the 105th Congress. He is particularly anti-tax and anti-regulatory. Lonnie Taylor, the senior vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce, commented, "As far as business issues, he's as close to perfect as one can get. He's absolutely terrific for the business community." On some issues, Hastert was rated as more conservative than former Speaker Newt Gingrich. Hastert is known as a quiet leader, but in 1994 he publicly threatened then-Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration David Kessler with contempt of Congress at a hearing on the agency's probe of the tobacco industry.
Sources: David Hosansky, "Hastert Wins High Marks From The Business Community," CQ WEEKLY, January 2, 1999, p. 22; Ceci Connolly and Juliet Eilperin, "Hastert Steps Up To Leading Role," WASHINGTON POST, January 5, 1999, p. A1.