Heritage Program Challenges IOP Group

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, will hold a three-day introductory conference for first-term Congressional members, putting itself in direct competition with a program run by Harvard's Institute of Politics (IOP) and Congress since 1974.

Mathew M. Miller, the foundation's director of congressional relations for the House, said the scheduling was no accident. Calling the IOP program "too liberal," Miller said that the choice between the conferences would "put [representatives] on record as to whether they want to continue the status quo or not."

Co-sponsored by the House Committee on Administration, the IOP's "Program for Newly-Elected Members of Congress" was begun with the intention of giving federal representatives an overview of the issues they will face.

This is the first year that another group has sought to compete with the program.

The foundation's event, co-sponsored by theFree Congress Foundation and the Family ResearchCouncil, will focus on "limited government, freeenterprise and the free market."

Unlike the IOP's program, the foundation'sconference will not receive public funding, Millersaid.

For Representative-elect Bob Inglis (R-S.C.),the agenda and non-taxpayer budget of thefoundation's conference made the decision easyenough. "My whole campaign has been based onreform. If the IOP conference has been going onfor a while, then it hasn't changed anything."

Inglis compared participating in a conferencethat has failed to produce anything new with"attending a seminar by Tom Foley on how tooperate the house bank."

Representative-elect Paul McHale (D-Penn.),however, will stick with the IOP conference.

"Every source I have heard says that it's anexcellent program," he said. "I never thought ofmy decision in ideological terms."

IOP staffers and Kennedy School of Governmentfaculty expressed dismay at the timing and intentof the foundation's conference.

Steven R. Singer, director of communicationsand public affairs for the Kennedy School, saidthat while the IOP welcomes other groups to holdsessions of their own, "it's unfortunate that [thefoundation] is forcing people to choose."

In the past, most new members have attended theIOP conference, said Catherine A. McLaughlin,acting deputy director of the IOP.

Because the foundation's program has anexplicit ideological slant, it is forcing the newlegislators to think along partisan lines,McLaughlin said.

"The purpose of our event is to bring all the[new] members together. They are just trying tosplit the members up," McLaughlin said.

Speakers for the Heritage Foundation's December10 to 12 conference will include William Bennett,who was Reagan's secretary of education, and JackKemp, secretary of housing and urban development.

The IOP's conference, scheduled for December 12to 15, will showcase New York City Mayor DavidDinkins, Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander,Kennedy School lecturer Robert B. Reich, BusinessSchool professor Michael E. Porter, and WarburgProfessor of Economics emeritus John KennethGalbraith.

Both groups said they have invited all 110 newrepresentatives

The foundation's event, co-sponsored by theFree Congress Foundation and the Family ResearchCouncil, will focus on "limited government, freeenterprise and the free market."

Unlike the IOP's program, the foundation'sconference will not receive public funding, Millersaid.

For Representative-elect Bob Inglis (R-S.C.),the agenda and non-taxpayer budget of thefoundation's conference made the decision easyenough. "My whole campaign has been based onreform. If the IOP conference has been going onfor a while, then it hasn't changed anything."

Inglis compared participating in a conferencethat has failed to produce anything new with"attending a seminar by Tom Foley on how tooperate the house bank."

Representative-elect Paul McHale (D-Penn.),however, will stick with the IOP conference.

"Every source I have heard says that it's anexcellent program," he said. "I never thought ofmy decision in ideological terms."

IOP staffers and Kennedy School of Governmentfaculty expressed dismay at the timing and intentof the foundation's conference.

Steven R. Singer, director of communicationsand public affairs for the Kennedy School, saidthat while the IOP welcomes other groups to holdsessions of their own, "it's unfortunate that [thefoundation] is forcing people to choose."

In the past, most new members have attended theIOP conference, said Catherine A. McLaughlin,acting deputy director of the IOP.

Because the foundation's program has anexplicit ideological slant, it is forcing the newlegislators to think along partisan lines,McLaughlin said.

"The purpose of our event is to bring all the[new] members together. They are just trying tosplit the members up," McLaughlin said.

Speakers for the Heritage Foundation's December10 to 12 conference will include William Bennett,who was Reagan's secretary of education, and JackKemp, secretary of housing and urban development.

The IOP's conference, scheduled for December 12to 15, will showcase New York City Mayor DavidDinkins, Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander,Kennedy School lecturer Robert B. Reich, BusinessSchool professor Michael E. Porter, and WarburgProfessor of Economics emeritus John KennethGalbraith.

Both groups said they have invited all 110 newrepresentatives