Second Senate term (1979–1985) Jesse Helms

1 second senate term (1979–1985)

1.1 new senate term
1.2 1980 presidential election
1.3 republicans take senate
1.4 food stamp program
1.5 economic policies
1.6 social issues
1.7 latin america
1.8 1984 re-election campaign

second senate term (1979–1985)
new senate term

on january 3, 1979, first day of new congress, helms introduced constitutional amendment outlawing abortion, on led conservative senators. senator helms 1 of several republican senators in 1981 called white house express discontent on nomination of sandra day o connor supreme court; opposition hinged on issue of o connor s presumed unwillingness overturn roe v. wade ruling. helms senate conservatives leader on school prayer. amendment proposed helms allowing voluntary prayer passed senate, died in house committee. act, helms proposed amendment banning sex education without written parental consent. in 1979, helms , democrat patrick leahy supported federal taxpayer bill of rights.

he joined senate foreign relations committee, being 1 of 4 men critical of carter new committee. leader of pro-taiwan congressional lobby, helms demanded people s republic of china reject use of force against republic of china, but, shock, carter administration did not ask them rule out.

helms criticized government on zimbabwe rhodesia, leading support internal settlement government under abel muzorewa, , campaigned along samuel hayakawa immediate lifting of sanctions on muzorewa s government. helms complained inconsistent lift sanctions on uganda after idi amin s departure, not zimbabwe rhodesia after ian smith s. helms hosted muzorewa when visited washington , met carter in july 1979. sent 2 aides lancaster house conference because did not trust state department on issue , thereby provoking british diplomatic complaints. aide john carbaugh accused of encouraging smith hang on , take harder line, implying there enough support in senate lift sanctions without settlement. helms introduced legislation demanded immediate lifting of sanctions; negotiations progressed, helms complied more administration s line, although senator ted kennedy accused carter of conceding construction of new aircraft carrier in return helms acquiescence on zimbabwe rhodesia, both parties denied. helms support lifting sanctions on zimbabwe rhodesia may have been grounded in north carolina s tobacco traders, have been main group benefiting unilaterally lifting sanctions on tobacco-exporting zimbabwe rhodesia.

1980 presidential election

in 1979, helms touted potential contender republican nomination 1980 presidential election, had poor voter recognition, , lagged far behind front-runners. candidate file new hampshire vice-presidential primary. going 1980, suggested potential running mate reagan, , said d accept if own man. 1 of 3 conservative candidates running nomination. however, ideological agreement reagan risked losing moderates votes, particularly due independent candidacy of rep. john b. anderson, , reagan camp split: designating george h. w. bush preferred candidate. @ convention, helms toyed idea of running vice-president despite reagan s choice, let go in exchange bush s endorsing party platform , allowing helms address convention. expected, helms drafted conservatives anyway, , won 54 votes, coming second. helms spiritual leader of conservative convention , , led movement reversed republican party s 36-year platform support equal rights amendment.

in fall of 1980, helms proposed bill denying supreme court jurisdiction on school prayer, found little support in committee. opposed mainline protestant churches, , counterpart defeated in house. senators helms , james a. mcclure blocked ted kennedy s comprehensive criminal code did not relax federal firearms restrictions, inserted capital punishment procedures, , reinstated current statutory law on pornography, prostitution, , drug possession. following success @ reintroducing gold-indexed contracts in 1977, in october 1980, helms proposed return gold standard, , passed amendment setting commission gold-backed currency. after presidential election, helms , strom thurmond sponsored senate amendment department of justice appropriations bill denying department power participate in busing, due objections on federal involvement, but, although passed congress, vetoed lame duck carter. helms pledged introduce stronger anti-busing bill reagan took office.

republicans take senate

in 1980 senate election, republicans unexpectedly won majority, first in twenty-six years, including john porter east, social conservative , helms protégé dubbed helms on wheels , winning other north carolina seat. howard baker set become majority leader, conservatives, angered baker s support panama treaty, salt ii, , equal rights amendment, had sought replace him helms until reagan gave baker backing. although, thought d put helms in charge of foreign relations committee instead of liberal charles h. percy, instead became chairman of senate agriculture, nutrition , forestry committee in new congress.

the first 6 months of 1981 consumed numerous foreign relations committee confirmation hearings, held helms, believed many of appointees liberal or tainted association kissinger, , not dedicated enough definition of reagan program : support south africa, taiwan, , latin american right-wing regimes (as opposed black africa , red china), , active defense of human rights. these nominations included alexander haig, chester crocker, john j. louis, jr., , lawrence eagleburger, of whom confirmed regardless, whilst of helms s candidates rejected. helms also, unsuccessfully, opposed nominations of caspar weinberger, donald regan, , frank carlucci. however, did score notable coup 2 years later, when led small group of conservatives block nomination of robert t. grey 9 months, , causing firing of eugene v. rostow.

food stamp program

an opponent of food stamp program, helms had voted reduce scope, , determined follow through agriculture committee chairman. @ 1 point, proposed 40% cut in funding. instead, helms supported replacement of food stamps workfare. proposed food stamp benefits dropped $11.50 per month per child each youngster enrolled in school lunch program. maintained free lunches duplicate food stamps. outcry against proposal strong compelled down. helms challenged fraud in food stamp program. said public had grown legitimately resentful abuses have observed .

as freshman lawmaker in 1973, helms tried reverse 1968 congressional vote had permitted workers on strike qualify food stamps. though failed gain reversal, position drew support of future minority , majority leader howard baker of tennessee , twelve senate democrats. helms position upheld in 1988, when united states supreme court decreed 5–3 law denying food stamps strikers constitutional unless worker otherwise qualified food stamps before going on strike. justice byron white said government must maintain neutrality in labor dispute , not subsidize strikers.

as agriculture committee chairman, helms proposed repeal of 1977 amendment had deleted purchase requirement food stamps. position ran afoul of fellow republican bob dole, claimed purchase requirement had contributed fraud , administrative difficulties in program. helms cited congressional budget office report showed 75 percent of increase in stamp usage had occurred since purchase requirement dropped. when helms ally, steve symms of idaho, proposed reinstitute purchase requirement, motion defeated, 33–66.

the helms bloc failed secure other limits program, including motion delete alcohol , drug residential treatment patients benefits. house , senate conferees dropped helms-backed provision requiring families disqualified program repay double amount of benefits received improperly. house democratic whip tom foley of washington insisted such penalty violate fifth amendment rights due process. instead families repay actual amount of improperly obtained benefits.

economic policies

helms supported gold standard through role agriculture committee chairman, exercises wide powers on commodity markets. during budget crisis of 1981, helms restored $200 million school lunches instead cutting foreign aid, , against increases in grain , milk price support, despite importance of dairy industry north carolina. warned repeatedly against costly farm subsidies chairman. however, in 1983, used position lobby use country s strategic dairy , wheat stocks subsidize food exports part of trade war european union. helms heavily opposed cutting food aid poland after martial law declared, , called end of grain exports (and arms limitation talks with) soviet union instead.

in 1982, helms authored bill introduce federal flat tax of 10% personal allowance of $2,000. voted against 1983 budget: conservative senator have done so, , leading voice balanced budget amendment. charlie rose, proposed bill limit tobacco price supports, allow transfer of subsidy credits non-farmers farmers. co-sponsored bi-partisan move in 1982 extend drug patent duration. helms continued pose obstacles reagan s budget plans. @ end of 97th congress, helms led filibuster against reagan s increase of federal gasoline tax 5-cents per gallon: mirroring opposition governor jim hunt s 3-cent increase in north carolina gasoline tax, alienating white house helms.

social issues

although helms recognized budget concerns , nominations predominant, rejected calls baker move debate on social issues 1982, conservatives seeking discuss abortion, school prayer, minimum wage, , fair housing policy. new congress, helms , robert k. dornan again proposed amendment banning abortion in circumstances, , proposed bill defining fetuses human beings, thereby taking out of hands of federal courts, along illinois republican henry hyde , kentucky democrat romano mazzoli. more successfully, helms passed amendment banning federal funds being used abortion unless woman s life in danger. support key nomination of c. everett koop surgeon general, proposing lifting age limit otherwise have ruled out koop. proposed amendment taking school prayer out of remit of supreme court, criticized being unconstitutional; despite reagan s endorsement, bill rejected, after twenty months of dispute , numerous filibusters, in september 1982, 51–48. helms , strom thurmond sponsored amendment prevent department of justice filing suits in defence of federal busing, contended wasted taxpayer money without improving education; filibustered lowell weicker 8 months, passed in march 1982. however, democratic speaker of house tip o neill blocked measure being considered house of representatives.

in 1981, helms started secret negotiations end 11-year impasse , pave way desegregation of historically white , historically black colleges in north carolina. in response rival anti-discrimination bill in 1982, proposed bill outlawing granting tax-free status schools discriminated racially, allowing schools discriminate on grounds of religion avoid taxes. when voting rights act came amendment in 1982, helms , thurmond criticized bias against south, arguing made carolinians second-class citizens treating states differently, , proposed amendment extended terms whole country, knew bury it. however, extended anyway, despite helms s filibuster, promised lead until cows come home . in 1983, helms hired claude allen, african american, press secretary. despite publicly aired belief 1 of best-liked senators amongst black staff in congress, pointed out did not have african-american staff of own, prompting hiring of twenty-two-year-old, had switched parties when press secretary bill cobey in previous year s campaign.

in 1983, helms led 16-day filibuster in senate opposing proposed establishment of martin luther king day federal holiday. helms , others claimed, federal holiday costly economy. although congressional budget office cited cost of $18 million, helms claimed cost $12 billion year. helms distributed 300-page packet claiming civil rights leader political radical adopted action-oriented marxism , detailing dr. king’s supposed treachery in accused king of appear[ing] have welcomed collaboration communists, stanley levison , jack o dell. helms ended filibuster in exchange new tobacco bill. president reagan signed bill on october 19, 1983. helms demanded fbi surveillance tapes allegedly detailing philandering on king s part released, although reagan , courts refused. conservatives attempted rename day national equality day or national civil rights day , failed, , bill passed. writing in washington post several years later, david broder attributed helms opposition mlk holiday racism on helms part.

latin america

upon republican takeover of senate, helms became chairman of subcommittee on western hemisphere affairs, promising review our policies on latin america , of had been severely critical under carter. focused on escalating aid salvadoran government in civil war, , particularly preventing nicaraguan , cuban support guerrillas in el salvador. within hours, subcommittee approved military aid el salvador, , later led push cut aid nicaragua. helms assisted in pursuing foreign policy realignment john carbaugh, influence new york times said [rivalled] many of [the senate s] more visible elected members .

in el salvador, helms had close ties right-wing salvadoran nationalist republican alliance , leader , death squad founder roberto d aubuisson. helms said, if had found 1 credible link between d aubuisson , so-called death squads  ... d repudiate him instantly. helms opposed appointment of thomas r. pickering ambassador el salvador. alleged cia had interfered in salvadoran election march , may 1984, in favor of incumbent centre-left josé napoleón duarte instead of d aubuisson, claiming pickering had used cloak of diplomacy strangle freedom in night . cia operative testifying senate intelligence committee alleged helms have admitted rigging election, senators attended have stated that, whilst cia operative admitted involvement, did not make such admission. helms disclosed details of cia financial support duarte, earning rebuke barry goldwater, helms replied information came sources in el salvador, not senate committee.

in 1982, helms senator opposed senate resolution endorsing pro-british policy during falklands war, citing monroe doctrine, although did manage weaken resolution s language. nonetheless, helms supporter of chilean dictator general augusto pinochet, supported united kingdom in falklands conflict. helms steadfastly opposed castro regime in cuba, , spent of time campaigning against lifting of sanctions. in 1980, opposed treaty cuba on sea boundary delimitation unless included withdrawal of soviet brigade stationed on island. following year, proposed legislation establishing radio free cuba, later become known radio martí.

1984 re-election campaign

halfway through reagan s term, helms talked prospective presidential candidate in 1984 in case reagan chose stand down after first term. there speculation helms run governorship, being vacated jim hunt. however, president stood re-election, , helms ran once more senate seat—facing governor hunt—and becoming top target amongst incumbent senate republicans.

unlike in 1978, helms faced opponent in primary, george wimbish, won 90.6% of vote, while hunt received 77% in his. during general election campaign, hunt accused helms of having anti-israel record of member of u.s. senate . helms pledged during campaign retain chairmanship of agriculture committee.

in expensive senate campaign time, helms narrowly defeated hunt, taking 1,156,768 (51.7%) hunt s 1,070,488 (47.8%).