Budget Pawn

D.C. government pension funds were used as a pawn in the federal budget deal just concluded. The question is whether the maneuver by the Clinton administration will do the city any harm. The answer could be yes, although obliquely. The pension system itself will not be affected. Last year's federal pledge to free the city from the vast unfunded liability in the pension plans for police, firefighters and teachers remains intact. But because of the budget gimmickry at the national level, the city could find it harder over the next several years to get other help it may need from Congress. That ...