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Six Months of the Bush Administration 7/89 [3]
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Six Months of the Bush Administration 7/89 [3]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
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This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
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Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13496
Folder ID Number:
13496-007
Folder Title:
Six Months of the Bush Administration 7/89 [3]
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25
6
4
2
INTERIOR
DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR
March
1849
news release
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Steve Goldstein (0) 202-343-6416
For Release April 18, 1989
(H) 202-887-5248
INTERIOR SECRETARY LUJAN INITIATES REVIEW OF DEPARTMENTAL POLICIES ON
OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLANS AND A RESEARCH PROGRAM
ON OIL SPILL CONTAINMENT AND CLEANUP TECHNOLOGY
Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan announced today a two-phase
approach to assuring the American public that essential domestic energy
will continue to be produced in an environmentally sound manner. The
first step is for the Director of the Minerals Management Service, Barry
Williamson, to undertake an immediate and intensive review of current
regulations and policies to see what changes need to be made for cleanup
and oil spill containment from offshore exploration and production
activities.
Additionally, the Secretary announced the Department will initiate a
research program on oil spill technology research, development and
demonstrations. The funding for enhancing the program will be evenly
shared by the American Petroleum Institute.
The total budget will be $6 million for three years, over $2 million
will be allocated for the current fiscal year. The money will fund
research in oil spill detection, containment, and cleanup technology.
Among the projects being considered are laboratory and field testing of
oil spill burning techniques, high-speed steerable booms, and new skimmer
technologies for clearing oil from ice-laden waters; development and
testing of a variety of new dispersants and nondispersant chemicals; and
development and testing of airborne instruments to aid in tracking and
estimating oil spill thickness in open water. These activities will be
coordinated with other affected executive branch agencies including,
Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; and some work will be
accomplished in cooperation with other countries.
"In the wake of the Exxon Valdez accident, we must make sure that our
oil spill contingency plans are thoroughly re-examined to meet our
responsibility for protecting the environment. A responsible program such
as this will also help us secure our future energy needs.
"Americans have a right to expect that care and caution are exercised
when domestic oil and gas are brought to the market from remote or
environmentally sensitive areas. Oil and gas are important resources to
our economy and national security and they must continue to be produced
and handled as safely as possible," the Secretary said.
-DOI-
89. 07/26 P03 * DEPT OF INTERIOR
JUL 26 '89 18:14
FROM DEPT OF JUSTICE
PAGE 004
Media have ignored civil rights action
The media have overlooked the Bush Ad-
The attorney general indicated that the
ministration's first opportunity to show where
Carpenter case would serve as a model of
it stands on a major civil rights issue, Attor-
how the department would handle future civ-
ney General Dick Thornburgh told USA TO-
il rights cases.
DAY Monday.
"Gvil rights laws will be vigorously en-
"Why is the press keeping this a secret?"
forced," be said.
he asked at the close of a news conference.
In recent months, the Supreme Court has
"Why is no one reporting on the Carpenter
handed down several decisions that civil
case?"
rights activists have said would slow minority
In that case last week, the Justice Depart-
job progress.
ment broke ranks with January's so-called
Thornburgh told USA TODAY, "In the
Richmond decision, in which the court ruled
wake of the Supreme Court cases, the presi-
that laws setting aside 30% of that city's con-
dent directed US to monitor the implementa-
struction contracts for minorities were un-
tion of those four or five holdings of the court
constitutional.
"In the first opportunity we've had to carry
Thornburgh's office argued in favor of a
out our monitoring function, we've showed
10% minority set-aside program operated by
we take it seriously and that we're going to
the Department of Transportation in North
pursue every means to ensure equal opportu-
Carolina, where the contractor used the Rich-
nity."
mond decision as his defense.
- Barbara Reynolds
Department of Justice will be
unchanged. We're still going to
be in the business of tracking
down major lords and seizing
their assets and disrupting
their organizations. But law en-
forcement can deal with the
supply side. On the demand
side, that war is going to be
won not in the courtroom, but
in the school room, in the com-
munity, in the work place, in
the family.
USA TODAY: Does the mil-
itary have a role?
THORNBURGH: The mili-
tary has no law enforcement
role, and that is a distinction
that we have made from the
beginning of this country. That
does not mean however, that
the military is unable to sup-
port law-enforcement activities
in a wide variety of ways. For
example, National Guard units
around the country are work-
ing with state and local law en-
forcement agencies in support
capacities.
USA TODAY: What is your
personal opinion of the Sur
preme Court's recent abor-
tion ruling?
THORNBURGH: My view
has always been opposed to
abortion on demand. I think
regulation of abortion is prop-
er, that abortion really should
be confined to those areas
where life of the mother is in
question or her health is in seri-
ous jeopardy, and in those
cases where conception result-
ed from rape or incest. To do
otherwise is simply to view
abortion as an alternative to
birth control. I find that unac-
ceptable.
Document No. 05691955
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 7/25/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
12:00 NOON, 7/26/89
SUBJECT: SIX MONTHS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
Bennett
CARD
Boskin
CICCONI
Petersmeyer
DEMAREST
Rogers
FITZWATER
Wington
GRAY
Pintarton
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss Winston
(Rm. 122, Ext. 2930) with an info copy to my office no later than
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 1989. Please note that TWO DOCUMENTS
are attached. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
fem Parters
pages.
Trade,
Raffice.
clipped
steel
the
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
yo
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
1
( (Grant))
July 21, 1989
Draft two
A:sixmonth
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
SIX MONTHS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
SUMMARY
As the Bush Administration passes the six-month mark,
Americans know that the President has set the agenda on a number
of fronts domestically -- from the environment and education to
the fight against drugs and crime. The economy is strong, with
the current economic expansion continuing to set new records.
Meanwhile, America is standing tall in the international arena,
after President Bush's leadership at two multilateral summits
paved the way for greater understanding among the allies and
improved relations with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc
nations.
KEEPING THE ECONOMY STRONG
Record expansion: During the current economic expansion --
now in its 79th month as of June -- nearly 20 million jobs
have been created and the unemployment rate has fallen to
levels not seen in 15 years. Income levels continue to set
records, and industrial output is nearly double that of
2
Europe. Consumer price inflation has remained under 5
percent for the past 7 years.
Budget agreement: The President has put forth a budget which
restrains overall growth of spending and meets the Gramm-
Rudman-Hollings targets -- with no new taxes in fiscal year
1990. The President and Congress announced on April 14 a
budget plan to reduce the estimated fiscal year 1990 deficit
by about $64 billion below fiscal year 1989.
Savings and Loans: The Administration's proposal to solve
the savings and loan crisis was passed by the House and
Senate and is currently in conference.
Third World debt: The Administration has taken the lead in
finding a way to reduce the debt burden of developing
countries. With the Administration's encouragement, the IMF
and World Bank have set aside funds to aid debt reduction.
Capital gains tax cut: The President has sent to the
Congress a proposal which would re-establish a capital gains
differential will encourage capital formation, saving, and
job formation.
Minimum wage: The President, by vetoing the across-the-board
increase in the minimum wage proposed by Congress, preserved
0 Street Imports. The Resident initiated a Two to and a half at
amougements a (VRAS) that currently limit stude injusts the
year in regionsible and orderly manme the Volunta into
Street Trade Liberalization Program designed plase Restrait
United States and negotiate 3 an international concerns 1
to address trade -distrating practics
job opportunities for the disadvantaged and blunted the
adverse economic impact such a move would have had.
International Trade: The Bush Administration successfully
broke a stalemate in international trade talks and advanced
its proposal to correct and prevent trade distortions in
agriculture. It is engaged in bilateral trade talks with
important trading partners to encourage them to open their
markets to our exports.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
"Europe Whole and Free": In a series of major speeches in
April and May, the President outlined a vision of a new
Europe -- secure, prosperous, whole and free -- vindicating
four decades of Western policies.
Poland and Hungary: The President signalled his strong
support for the people of Hungary and Poland as they move
toward more democratic reforms -- by visiting those nations
and offering political and moral support as well as economic
and trade incentives.
Economic Summit: The unity of the industrial democracies was
demonstrated at the Paris Economic Summit, as President Bush
4
took the lead in encouraging our allies to support Polish
and Hungarian economic reforms and to cooperate in
addressing on environmental problems.
"Beyond Containment": The President has responded to great
changes in the Soviet Union with his policy to move "beyond
containment" by integrating the Soviet Union into the world
order.
Arms Control/NATO Summit: In arms control, the pace of
negotiations with the Soviet Union has accelerated, with new
American initiatives on Conventional Forces in Europe (which
the President unveiled at the NATO Summit), on banning
chemical weapons, and on strategic arms reduction.
Soviet Relations: The US-Soviet dialogue on conflicts in
regions of the Third World has resumed intensively, and a
US-Soviet dialogue has begun on a new range of global
problems which require global cooperation, such as
terrorism, the environment, and narcotics.
China: In response to the suppression of the democratic
movement in China, the President signalled that we cannot
condone repression while he worked to preserve the basic
elements of a strategically important relationship.
5
Central American accord: The President and Congressional
leaders agreed on March 24 on a bipartisan strategy for
peace and democracy in Central America.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
Education: The President proposed and sent to the Congress a
comprehensive education package, The Educational Excellence
Act of 1989, which includes seven initiatives on merit and
magnet schools, alternative certification of teachers,
excellence awards for teachers, emergency grants to help
urban schools to fight drugs, new funding for endowments at
Historically Black Colleges, and a National Science Scholars
program.
Natural Gas Deregulation: On July 26, the President signed
into law the Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989, which ends all
remaining price controls on natural gas. This will phase
out all federal price controls on natural gas.
Clean Air Act revisions: On July 21, President Bush
transmitted to the Congress the first revisions to the Clean
Air Act since 1977. His legislation is designed to
6
drastically reduce three major threats to the nation's
environment: acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air
emissions.
Hazardous waste: The President announced he will be seeking
new legislation to ban all exports of hazardous waste except
where an agreement already exists with the receiving country
to provide for its safe handling.
Ozone depletion: The President has called for a total
worldwide phaseout of CFCs by the year 2000, provided safe
substitutes are available, in order to prevent further
damage to the earth's protective ozone layer.
Clean water: The EPA has started a tracking system for
medical wastes and the Justice Department has started a task
force to prosecute these abuses -- the first step in a
comprehensive program to help keep our beaches clean. The
President is committed to end ocean dumping of sewage sludge
by 1991.
Wetlands: The President is committed to "no net loss of
wetlands" and is directing his agencies to work toward that
goal. He has also proposed $206 million in his budget to
expand our parks and wildlife refuges.
7
Combatting Violent Crime: President Bush transmitted to
Congress The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1989 to
combat violent crime. Measures will augment enforcement and
prosecution, strengthen current law, control certain semi-
automatic weapons, and expand prison capacity.
Fighting Drug Abuse: The Administration is requesting $6
billion in funding for FY 1990 to fight the drug war,
increasing outlays by nearly $1 billion for drug education,
treatment and enforcement.
Drug Czar: The Office of National Drug Control Policy has
responded to the drug emergency in the District of Columbia
by expanding the Metropolitan Area Task Force, working for
more prisons, providing support in enforcement, and
providing assistance to local treatment efforts.
Space: The President announced a three step commitment to
establish America's preeminence in space -- Space Station
Freedom, a permanent presence on the Moon, and a manned
mission to Mars.
Public Housing: The Bush Administration is working to make
public housing drug free, to protect the rights of the vast
majority of decent, law-abiding public housing residents.
8
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
Child Care: The President has transmitted to the Congress a
child care package, the Working Family Child Care Assistance
Act of 1989 which provides a new refundable child care tax
credit of up to $1000 per child under four, for low and
moderate income working families. This legislation will
make the existing Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
refundable, and does not discriminate against religious- and
family-based child care.
Head Start: The President has also transmitted legislation
to the Congress which would increase the FY 1990
authorization for Head Start by $250 million; this will pay
for enrollment of up to 95,000 more four-year-olds in the
program.
National Service: The President spearheaded a movement to
encourage national service, and announced the formation of a
foundation called the Points of Light Initiative to
identify, enlarge and recreate those community service
initiatives which are working.
Welfare Reform: The Administration issued proposed rules on
April 18 to implement the major provisions of the Family
9
Support Act of 1988, as a step toward welfare reform. The
Administration is proposing to spend $3.3 billion over the
next five years implementing the JOBS program. The changes
will help reduce the number of individuals on welfare.
Medicaid: On April 18, the Administration forwarded to
Congress proposed legislation to make federal Medicaid
programs better serve pregnant women, infants and children.
Homelessness: President Bush has called for fully funding
the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act and for a new $50
million matching grant program to promote public/private
partnerships to assist homeless families and the mentally
ill.
Enterprise Zones: President Bush asked Congress to enact
labor and capital-based incentives -- through urban
enterprise zones -- to create jobs and entrepreneurial
activity in our most distressed communities.
Campaign Finance Reform: The President's comprehensive
campaign finance proposal is designed to lessen the power of
special economic interests and restore competition to
American Congressional elections.
10
O
Ethics: President Bush sent comprehensive ethics legislation
to the Congress on April 12th, and he issued an Executive
Order announcing ethical principles for the conduct of
executive branch employees.
O
Whistleblower Protection: On April 10, the President signed
S. 20, the "Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989." This law
will strengthen the protections and procedural rights
available to those federal employees who report misdeeds and
mismanagement.
O
Civil Rights: The Administration has taken a number of
actions to protect the civil rights of all Americans,
including several court actions in key civil rights cases.
###
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
SIX MONTHS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
KEEPING THE ECONOMY STRONG
Maintaining the current expansion with low inflation is the
key to improving standards of living, increasing job
opportunities for all Americans, and increasing investment in
productive capacity. Economic performance during this expansion
has been very good, and the policies proposed by the Bush
Administration are designed to preserve this strong record.
Record peacetime expansion: The current expansion reached 7.9
months in June.
Job creation: Nearly 20 million new jobs have been created
during this expansion, and the unemployment rate fell to
levels not seen in 15 years. During this decade, America
has created more new jobs than Japan and the nations of
Western Europe combined.
Record income: Real per capita disposable personal income --
personal income after taxes and inflation -- has risen 19
percent during this expansion. Real median family income --
the level of income after inflation which splits the family
2
income distribution in half -- set a new record in 1987, the
last year for which data are available.
Industrial output: During this expansion, American
industrial output has grown almost 41 percent compared with
overall economic growth of 29 percent. This is almost
double Europe's growth rate in industrial output.
Higher national saving and investment: During the first
eight months of fiscal year 1989, the Federal Government
budget deficit is less than during the same period in the
previous fiscal year. Partly due to the discipline of GRH,
the Federal deficit has declined from 5.4 percent of GNP in
fiscal year 1985 to about 2.9 percent this fiscal year. The
personal saving rate has risen to 5.4 percent in the first
quarter of 1989 from its recent low of 2.2 percent in the
second quarter of 1987. Business fixed investment as a
percent of real GNP has risen from a recent low of 11.1
percent in the first quarter of 1987 to 12.3 percent in the
first quarter of 1989.
Inflation under control: Consumer price inflation has
remained under 5 percent for the past 7 years, and the
recent slowing in economic growth to a sustainable rate will
lessen price pressures in the near future. The
3
Administration and the Federal Reserve share the goal of
ultimately achieving price stability.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Presenting a budget: The President put forth a budget which
addresses our fundamental obligations for the protection of
national security and support of the needy, while providing
sufficient funds to advance high-priority initiatives. The
President's budget restrains overall growth of spending and
meets the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings targets -- with no new taxes
in fiscal year 1990.
Reaching a budget agreement with Congress: The President
and Congress announced on April 14 a budget plan to reduce
the estimated fiscal year 1990 deficit by about $64 billion
below fiscal year 1989. The deficit will be reduced to
$99.4 billion, as required by the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law.
This is the first budget agreement reached before the start
of the budget year and not framed in the context of crisis.
Savings and Loan reform: The Administration's proposal to
solve the savings and loan crisis was passed by the House
and Senate and is currently in conference. The proposal
included provisions to:
4
Assure the financial integrity of deposit insurance by
raising the annual premium rate for both commercial
banks and S&Ls.
Resolve the status of existing insolvent banks in an
orderly fashion.
Improve supervisory control by bringing S&Ls up to the
same standards applied to commercial banks.
--
Enhance the enforcement of bank fraud provisions.
Solution of the international debt problem: The
Administration has taken the lead in finding a way to reduce
the debt burden of developing countries. With the
Administration's encouragement, the IMF and World Bank have
set aside funds to aid debt reduction in conjunction with
their ongoing programs to promote investment, growth, and
the return of flight capital to these countries.
o
Capital gains tax rate cut: The re-establishment of a
capital gains differential will encourage capital formation,
saving, and job formation. The President has sent to the
Congress a proposal which includes:
--
A 45 percent capital gains exclusion for qualified
capital gains, making the maximum capital gains tax
rate 15 percent.
--
A phased-in increase in the qualifying holding period
from one year to three years.
5
--
An exemption from the capital gains tax for families
earning under $20,000.
Minimum wage proposal: The President believes in keeping job
opportunities available for youth and for those seeking to
enter the economic mainstream. The across-the-board
increase in the minimum wage which was proposed by Congress
would have had an adverse economic impact and cut job
opportunities drastically. Because of this, he vetoed the
bill passed by Congress.
International Trade: The Administration is forcefully
promoting the opening of world markets. It successfully
broke a stalemate in international trade talks and advanced
its proposal to correct and prevent trade distortions in
agriculture. It is engaged in bilateral trade talks with
important trading partners to encourage them to open their
markets to our exports. Together these efforts should
greatly expand opportunities for U.S. exports.
Steel,
Agricultural initiatives: The Administration has announced
see
additional advance deficiency payments of 10 percent
WI
Summary)
available to producers of wheat, feed grains, rice and
upland cotton. In addition, a top-level Working Group on
Rural Development was established by the President to focus
on an action-oriented agenda.
6
Clean Air: The Administration transmitted to the Congress
on July 21 a Clean Air Act which will harness the power of
the marketplace in achieving the goals of the act in the
most cost-effective manner possible.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
President Bush is committed to a strong American role of
world leadership and sees in present global trends an
unprecedented opportunity for strengthening both world peace and
the cause of freedom. He has taken the initiative to seize that
opportunity.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
"Europe Whole and Free": In a series of major speeches in
April and May, the President outlined a vision of a new
Europe -- secure, prosperous, whole and free -- vindicating
four decades of Western policies.
--
Western Europe: As the European Community heads toward
a single market in 1992, and also develops its
political institutions and a more coordinated approach
to foreign policy, the President has pledged his
support for close cooperation with the EC and its
member states. We see the resurgence of Western Europe
7
as a triumph of Western values and principles. We
welcome its success, confident that a mature
partnership will serve mutual interests.
-- Eastern Europe: As Poland and Hungary take
unprecedented steps of reform, permitting first steps
toward pluralism, democracy, and market economic
policies, the United States has signaled its strong
support. Offering political and moral support as well
as economic incentives, the President proposed:
-- Poland: Following up on the program the President
announced earlier this year in Hamtramck, Michigan, he
called for action to declare Poland a beneficiary
country under the U.S. Generalized System of
Preferences. OPIC will be authorized to operate in
Poland, and the US is proposing a private business
agreement that will promote contacts between the
private sectors of both countries. The President will
ask Congress to provide a $100 million fund to help
capitalize the Polish private sector, and encourage the
World Bank to move ahead with new loans to help Polish
agriculture and industry. Finally, he will ask
Congress for $15 million in a cooperative venture with
Poland to help fight air and water pollution in Krakow.
other members
He has encouraged our friends in the Paris Club to
agree
official
^
provide more liberalized terms in rescheduling Polish
a
debt.
8
-- Hungary: The President will ask the Congress to
authorize a $25 million fund as a source of new capital
to invigorate the Hungarian private sector. Pending
the passage of new emigration legislation in the
Hungarian Parliament, the President will inform
Congress that Hungary has been released from the
restrictions of the Jackson-Vanik Amendments, allowing
more liberal access to the American market. The
President also offered access to the Generalized System
of Preferences. He called for OPIC to operate in
Hungary, and called for greater scientific, technical,
educational and cultural exchanges between the US and
Hungary. The President said that the US will open an
American House in Budapest, and will seek to establish
an International Environmental Center for Central and
Eastern Europe, in Budapest as well. Finally, he
announced that the Peace Corps would operate in Hungary
-- the first time in a European country.
-- The Economic Summit in Paris: The mission of the
President's historic visit to Poland and Hungary in
early July, and of the President's successful effort at
the Paris Economic Summit was to promote concerted
actions in areas of mutual concern among the industrial
democracies. The unity of the industrial democracies
was demonstrated, as they dealt with a variety of
issues from the economy to East-West strategies to
9
global environmental issues. Similarly, the solidarity
of the democracies was demonstrated earlier at the NATO
summit, as the North Atlantic allies dealt with arms
control initiatives.
--
Throughout the trip, the President declared that we
face a historic opportunity to lower the barriers that
have kept Europe divided. The Cold War began over
Eastern Europe, and if it is to end, it must end there
as well.
"Beyond Containment": Seeing a historic process of change
also in the Soviet Union, the President has declared his
intention to move beyond the successful policy of
containment of Soviet power to a new policy whose goals is
integrating the Soviet Union into the world community as a
constructive partner. Constructive changes so far in Soviet
policies -- in human rights, economic reforms, and
settlement of some international conflicts -- need to be
encouraged and broadened. The United States will be ready
to respond to such further developments. Already:
--
The US-Soviet dialogue on conflicts in regions of the
Third World has resumed intensively, with regular
meetings at the level of Assistant Secretary of State.
-- A US-Soviet dialogue has begun on a new range of global
problems which require global cooperation, such as
terrorism, the environment, and narcotics.
10
--
In arms control, the pace of negotiations has
accelerated, with new American initiatives on
Conventional Forces in Europe (which the President
unveiled at the NATO Summit), on banning chemical
weapons, and on strategic arms reduction.
China: In response to the tragic suppression of the
democratic movement in China, the President ordered the
suspension of all government-to-government sales and
commercial exports of weapons, suspension of visits between
US and Chinese military leaders, sympathetic review of
requests by Chinese students in the United States to extend
their stay, and review of other aspects of US-PRC bilateral
relations. The President's policy is to signal that we
cannot condone repression, but also to preserve the basic
elements of a relationship that has itself played a major
part in China's recent policy of reform and openness as well
as being of enormous strategic importance.
Bipartisan Accord on Central America: The President and
Congressional leaders agreed on March 24 on a bipartisan
strategy for peace and democracy in Central America:
-- Regional peace: The President and Congress agreed that
the region's democracies deserve our support, that
Nicaragua's subversion of its neighbors must end, and
11
that Soviet support for violence and subversion in the
hemisphere must also end.
--
Humanitarian aid: Congress agreed to support the
Administration's request for continued humanitarian
assistance for the Nicaraguan Democratic Resistance at
current levels through the elections in Nicaragua
scheduled for February 1990.
:
Democracy: The Communist Sandinistas are being put to
the test next February -- to permit a real democratic.
contest for political power, fulfilling the promises of
democratic pluralism that they have made (and broken)
so often before.
Middle East Peace Process: The Administration is supporting
the Middle East parties in efforts to launch a peace
process. Our approach is based on the concept of
Palestinian elections in the occupied territories, which we
believe can be a step toward a comprehensive peace
settlement that assures Israel's security and the legitimate
political rights of the Palestinians.
has
Bush administration's
onto
Initiative on Third World Debt: The President's initiative
Is
+
to strengthen the international strategy on Third World debt
haved
has already received broad support from both industrial and
there
developing countries. The approach is designed to promote
sustained growth in developing countries by:
12
--
Emphasizing sound market-oriented economic policies in
debtor countries, particularly measure to promote
investment and repatriation of flight capital;
:
Increasing the focus on debt and debt service reduction
to complement new lending by commercial banks;
--
Using resources from the World Bank and IMF to catalyze
voluntary debt and debt service reduction by the
commercial banks.
GATT: In the Uruguay Round of GATT trade negotiations,
progress has been made toward a multilateral agreement
reducing trade barriers to exports.
Bilateral Meetings: The President has met with a total of
XXX foreign leaders while in office, including 18 bilateral
meetings during the trip to Emperor Hirohito's funeral, XX
during the NATO Summit, and XX on the trip to Poland,
Hungary, the Netherlands, and the Economic Summit.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
EDUCATION
The President's actions to improve education are guided by
four key principles: that excellence and success in education
should be recognized and rewarded; that federal funding should be
targeted to those who need it most; that choice and flexibility -
13
- for educators, parents and students -- are important to
educational reform and to achieving excellence; and finally, that
greater accountability is needed in the education system to
assure that students are actually receiving the highest quality
education.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
O
The President proposed and sent to the Congress a
comprehensive education package, The Educational Excellence
Act of 1989 which includes seven initiatives:
-- The Presidential Merit Schools program -- to reward
schools that have made substantial progress in raising
students' educational achievement, creating a safe and
drug-free school environment, and reducing the drop-out
rate.
-- A new Magnet Schools of Excellence program -- to
support the establishment, expansion or enhancement of
magnet schools, increasing parental choice and
improving quality education.
-- The Alternative Certification of Teachers and
Principals program -- to assist States interested in
broadening the pool of talent from which to recruit
teachers and principals.
14
:
President's Awards for Excellence in Education -- to be
awarded to public and private school teachers in every
state who meet the highest standards of excellence.
--
Drug-free Schools Urban Emergency Grants -- to provide
special assistance to selected urban school districts
that are disproportionately affected by drug
trafficking and abuse.
:
A National Science Scholars program -- to provide
college scholarships to high school seniors who have
excelled in the sciences and mathematics.
:
Additional Funding Authorization for Endowment Matching
Grants at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
to strengthen HBCUs by building endowments, an
especially effective way to create financial strength
and long-term security.
THE ENVIRONMENT
President Bush, a long-time environmentalist, has taken
strong action to protect the environment. He is working
shoulder-to-shoulder with Interior Secretary Lujan, Energy
Secretary Watkins, and EPA Administrator Reilly on a number of
fronts.
15
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Natural Gas Decontrol: On July 26, the President signed into
law the Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989, which ends all
remaining price controls on natural gas. This will phase
out all federal price controls on natural gas.
Clean Air legislation: President Bush transmitted to the
Congress a sweeping program to ensure clean air for all
Americans. The President's plan, transmitted to Congress on
July 21, 1989, calls for the first revisions to the Clean
Air Act since 1977 and is designed to curb three major
threats to the nation's environment: acid rain, urban air
pollution, and toxic air emissions.
-- Acid Rain: Sulfur dioxide emissions that cause acid
rain will be cut in half, by ten million tons, and
nitrogen oxide levels cut by two million tons -- by the
end of this century. Companies will be allowed to
trade credits among themselves for reductions they
make, so that they can decide how to bring aggregate
emissions down as cost-effectively as possible.
--
Urban Air Pollution: By employing a mix of federal
measures and state initiatives, this legislation will
sharply cut air pollution in our cities. The federal
measures alone will cut hydrocarbon emissions -- which
contribute to urban ozone -- virtually in half.
16
Currently, 81 cities don't meet Federal air
quality standards. This legislation will bring clean
air to all but 25 cities by 1995 -- and within 20
years, even to Los Angeles, Houston and New York.
In the nine urban areas with the greatest smog
problems, smog will be cut through alternative fuels
and clean-fueled vehicles. The President is calling
for the phased in introduction of a half a million
clean-fueled vehicles in 1995, building up to a million
in 1997, through 2007.
To the maximum extent feasible, automobile and
fuel companies will be allowed to trade reduction
credits among themselves.
-- Toxic Air Emissions: All categories of airborne toxic
chemicals should be cut by 75 percent by the year 2000.
In its first phase, this initiative should eliminate
about three-quarters of the needless deaths from cancer
that are suspected to have been caused by toxic
industrial air emissions.
Until now, because of an unworkable law, the EPA
has been able to regulate only seven of the 280 known
air toxics. These reforms will allow EPA to do its job
better, and will apply the most advanced industrial
technology available to control these airborne poisons.
The legislation promises certifiable progress in
17
regulating sources of toxic air emissions on a set
schedule.
Alaskan oil spill: A Cabinet-level team was sent to assess
the Alaskan oil spill, and a joint federal-state resource
recovery team was convened. The National Transportation
Safety Board is investigating the accident itself. Exxon
has accepted responsibility for paying for the cleanup, and
for employing local civilian personnel necessary to control
further damage. EPA Administrator Reilly is coordinating the
long-range planning to restore the environment of Prince
William Sound, and the President has ordered a review of
existing contingency plans for accidents such as this.
-- The President has set up a special task force to
address environmental concerns about oil and gas
drilling off the coasts of California and Florida.
--
The Administration transmitted to the Congress a
comprehensive oil spill liability bill, to XXX (call
Transoportation)
Cleaning up hazardous wastes: The President announced he
will be seeking new legislation to give the United States
Government authority to ban all exports of hazardous waste
except where an agreement exists with the receiving country
providing for the safe handling and management of those
wastes.
18
Also, Secretary of Energy Watkins has put forth a plan of
action to identify and prioritize clean up of defense and
civilian radioactive waste.
Superfund: The President is reinvigorating the Superfund
hazardous waste clean-up program by directing EPA to take a
number of actions, including more aggressive action to force
private parties to clean up sites, stepped-up cost recovery,
and better use of existing emergency cleanup authorities.
EPA is also now finishing a priority review of Superfund to
improve its operation.
Ozone depletion: The President has called for a total
worldwide phaseout of CFCs by the year 2000, provided safe
substitutes are available, in order to prevent further
damage to the earth's protective ozone layer.
Clean water and coastlines: The EPA has started a tracking
system for medical wastes and the Justice Department has
started a task force to prosecute these abuses -- the first
step in a comprehensive program to help keep our beaches
clean. The President is committed to end ocean dumping of
sewage sludge by 1991.
19
Wetlands: The President is committed to "no net loss of
wetlands" and is directing his agencies to work toward that
goal. He has also proposed $206 million in his budget to
expand our parks and wildlife refuges.
COMBATTING VIOLENT CRIME
The President is working to strengthen the nation's criminal
justice system and the Federal, state, and local law enforcement
partnership.
Four principles underlie the goals of our criminal justice
system and the means for accomplishing them: First, to protect
citizens and their property; to hold those who commit violent
crimes accountable for their actions; to have as the objective of
our criminal justice system the swift and certain apprehension,
prosecution and incarceration of those who break the law; and
finally, to ensure a sustained, cooperative effort by Federal,
State and local law enforcement authorities.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
On May 15, 1989, President Bush transmitted to Congress The
Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1989 to combat violent
crime. Elements of the legislation include:
20
-- Strengthening Current Laws: The President is calling
on Congress to double the mandatory minimum penalties
-- from five years to ten years in Federal prison --
for the use of semi-automatic weapons in violent crimes
or drug felonies.
In addition, the Attorney General has been
directed to advise America's prosecutors to end plea
bargaining for violent Federal firearms offenses.
President Bush called on Congress to enact the
steps necessary to implement the death penalty for the
most serious Federal crimes, and urged state Governors
to match these Federal initiatives -- new mandatory
sentencing, tougher rules on plea bargaining, and
implementing the death penalty -- in the States.
:
Controlling Certain Semi-Automatic Weapons: The
President also announced that the Administration has
made permanent the temporary suspension on the
importation of any semi-automatic weapons which fail to
meet the criteria specified in the Gun Control Act of
1968; he also called for the closing of loopholes which
allow access to such guns by certain classes of
criminals. The President introduced legislation
prohibiting the importation, manufacture, sale or
transfer of gun magazines of more than 15 rounds.
--
Augmenting Enforcement: The President has directed the
Attorney General and the Treasury Secretary, working
21
together with state and local authorities, to launch a
comprehensive, coordinated offensive against America's
most violent criminals.
President Bush requested funding for hiring 825
new Federal agents and staff -- 375 at the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; 300 at the FBI; and 150
Deputy U.S. Marshals. This offensive, including State
and local enforcement authorities, will target violent
criminals and repeat offenders.
-- Enhancing Prosecution: The President proposed
increased funds for the U.S. Attorneys Offices to
support 1,600 new prosecutors and staff, and increased
funds for the Justice Department Criminal Division to
support 168 new positions, to handle drug cases,
weapons offenses and other priority matters.
-- Expanding Prison Capacity: The President proposed an
additional $1 billion for Federal prison construction,
bringing the total FY 1990 budget to over $1.5 billion.
This will add 24,000 new Federal prison beds to the
current 31,000 beds, an increase of nearly 80%.
FIGHTING DRUG ABUSE
We have begun a new war on drugs in this country. The
President believes a four-pronged approach is key: education,
rehabilitation, interdiction and enforcement. The policy of
22
this Administration is "zero tolerance." No amount of illegal
drug use is acceptable. This means dealing with both supply and
demand.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Budget: The Administration is requesting $6 billion in
funding for FY 1990 to fight the drug war, increasing
outlays by nearly $1 billion for drug education, treatment
and enforcement.
Education: The Administration is requesting nearly $1.1
billion for education and prevention efforts. This is a 16
percent increase over 1989, and includes funding for ongoing
programs and new initiatives.
Rehabilitation: Funding for drug abuse treatment will be
increased 18 percent. The Administration is proposing over
$700 million to expand the nation's capacity to provide
treatment, particularly to the indigent, disadvantaged,
youth, and expectant mothers.
Interdiction and enforcement: The Administration is
proposing over $4.1 billion for law enforcement programs in
1990, a 10 percent increase over 1989. This constitutes
about 70 percent of President Bush's proposed drug budget.
23
Substantial increases are requested in funding to strengthen
inspection, interdiction, intelligence efforts and crop
eradication programs, such as Operation Polar Cap, a
federally led effort which broke up a $1.2 billion drug
money-laundering operation. The President strongly supports
the death penalty for drug kingpins who commit drug-related
murders, and will appoint judges who will strongly enforce
the drug penalty laws.
Public housing: The Bush Administration is working to make
public housing drug free, to protect the rights of the vast
majority of decent, law-abiding public housing residents.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has acted:
-- To modify its lease and grievance procedures to
facilitate eviction of those involved in drug related
criminal activity;
-- To make drug use and trafficking a lease violation
subject to eviction proceedings;
-- To target federal assistance to anti-drug security
measures;
--
To revoke federal housing subsidies from those dealing
in drugs;
-- To involve the private and voluntary sectors in efforts
to rid public housing of drugs and give residents,
especially young people, a stake in their communities
and their futures.
24
In addition, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has
responded to the drug emergency in the District of Columbia
by expanding the Metropolitan Area Task Force, working for
more prisons, providing FBI support in enforcement, and
providing the assistance of the National Institute on Drug
Abuse to local treatment efforts. The Department of
Education will provide the District with 50 percent more
funds for drug prevention programs in city schools. The
Department of Labor will provide support for employee
assistance programs and work with the business community to
increase job training for youth.
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
CHILD CARE
The changing nature of American society heightens the need
for quality, affordable, accessible child care. President Bush
wants to put choice in the hands of parents so that they -- not
government -- have the power to select the best and safest
environment for their children.
25
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Child care: The President has transmitted to the Congress a
child care package, the Working Family Child Care Assistance
Act of 1989 which:
--
Provides a new refundable child care tax credit of up
to $1000 per child under four, for low and moderate
income working families.
--
Makes the existing Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
refundable.
:
Does not discriminate against religious- and family-
based child care.
The President has directed Secretary of Labor Dole to study
the market for liability insurance to determine if liability
issues impair child care.
Head Start: The President has also transmitted legislation
to the Congress which would increase the FY 1990
authorization for Head Start by $250 million; this will pay
for enrollment of up to 95,000 more four-year-olds in the
program.
26
NATIONAL SERVICE
The President's strategy for overcoming the disintegration
of communities across America -- not through a federal government
program, but a nationwide service movement -- has three facets:
First, to issue a call to action; second, to identify, enlarge
and recreate what is working; and third, to discover and
encourage new leaders.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
The Call to Action:
:
President Bush called on all Americans and all American
institutions, large and small, to make service of
central value in their daily life and work;
--
All heads of business and professional firms to include
community service among the factors considered in
making hiring, compensation and promotion decisions;
:
Newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations,
cable systems, and other media institutions to identify
service opportunities, spotlight successful service
initiatives and profile outstanding community leaders
regularly;
--
All state and local education boards to uphold the
value of service and to encourage students, faculty and
personnel to serve others;
27
--
College and university presidents to recognize the
value of community service in considering applicants,
and to encourage and uphold the value of community
service;
--
and not-for-profit service organizations to build the
capacity to absorb increasing numbers of volunteers in
purposeful roles.
Identifying, Enlarging, and Recreating What is Working: The
President announced the formation of a foundation called the
Points of Light Initiative, of which he will serve as
Honorary Chairman. Formed to identify and build upon what
is working, the Foundation will be a magnet for the best
ideas and brightest programs in community service. The
Administration will ask Congress for $25 million annually to
support this Initiative, which will, in turn, seek matching
funds from the private sector. The President has also
encouraged all governors and mayors nationwide to join the
movement by forming State and local Points of Light working
groups composed of outstanding leaders.
-- Through a Foundation initiative called the ServNet
Project, professional firms, corporations, unions,
schools, religious, civic and not-for-profit groups
will be asked to donate the services of some of their
most talented and promising people for a period of
time. Peer-to-peer working groups will be formed to
28
bring examples of successful initiatives and providing
training, technical assistance and other support to
enable other institutions to devise similar
initiatives.
--
Another Foundation initiative, the ServLink Project,
will help improve existing methods of matching would-be
volunteers with purposeful service opportunities.
ServLink will stimulate the development through private
sector resources of "technology links" between those
who wish to serve and those needing service in the
inquirer's own community.
--
The Foundation will also recognize successful community
initiatives and outstanding leaders through two new
Presidential Awards:
-- The National Service Youth Leadership Awards will
be given each year to individuals.
-- The President's Build a Community Awards will
honor those people and institutions who have
worked together to rebuild families or to
revitalize communities.
29
WELFARE REFORM
The Administration has developed a major new education and
job training program to help recipients of Aid to Families with
Dependent Children move off welfare and become economically self-
sufficient.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Welfare reform: The Administration issued proposed rules on
April 18 to implement the major provisions of the Family
Support Act of 1988. The proposed rules are designed to:
:
Target job training assistance to those who are most
likely to benefit and who are most at risk for long-
term welfare dependency.
:
Provide maximum level of flexibility to AFDC parents in
obtaining the type of child care that best suits their
needs, consistent with the Administration's legislative
proposals on child care.
JOBS Program: The Administration is proposing to spend $3.3
billion over the next five years implementing the JOBS
program. The changes will pay benefits in the future by
reducing the number of individuals on welfare. It is
estimated that 138,000 families will be able to leave
30
welfare rolls over the next five years as a result of this
program.
EXPANSION OF MEDICAID
The Administration is committed to health care for the
disadvantaged, calling for full funding of Medicaid, $37.6
billion for FY 1990, an increase of $3.3 billion, or 9.6 percent
over the FY 1989 level.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Expanding Medicaid: On April 18, the Administration
forwarded to Congress proposed legislation to make federal
programs better serve pregnant women, infants and children.
The legislation would expand the population Medicaid serves,
making Medicaid available to 1.9 million more women when
they became pregnant. The legislation would:
-- Increase by 374,000 the number of pregnant women and
children eligible for Medicaid.
-- Foster greater participation in Medicaid by eligible
pregnant women by providing services to pregnant women
who are presumed eligible for Medicaid before a formal
eligibility determination is made; and by requiring
States to operate outreach programs in areas of high
infant mortality.
31
--
Entitle all children under age 6 who are receiving Food
Stamps to Medicaid coverage for immunizations.
-- Make the Federal match rate for State administration
expenses a uniform 50 percent by gradually reducing
special administrative match rates ranging from 75 to
100 percent. The savings that would result would allow
the legislative eligibility changes proposed by the
President to be implemented within the current
program's spending level.
HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS
President Bush has taken a number of steps to create an
"opportunity society" of jobs, growth, housing and hope for
Americans in need of a helping hand.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Homelessness: ((In his FY 1990 budget)) 1 the President has
proposed to provide over $1 billion in federal resources to
help end homelessness and pave the way to jobs, permanent
housing, health care and human dignity. President Bush's
proposal calls for fully funding the McKinney Homeless
Assistance Act and for a new $50 million matching grant
32
program to promote public/private partnerships to assist
homeless families and the mentally ill.
Enterprise zones: President Bush has called for enactment of
enterprise zone legislation, to give urban and rural areas
the opportunity for jobs and hope for the future. President
Bush asked Congress to enact labor and capital-based
incentives to create jobs and entrepreneurial activity in
our most distressed communities.
Affordable housing: President Bush is committed to making
housing more affordable for low-income families, and to
provide homeownership opportunities to the disadvantaged and
to young families. President Bush proposes to assist
109,000 new families in need of low-income housing, and has
pledged to maintain assistance to those families already
being helped. President Bush has also signalled his
commitment to helping poor residents in public housing to
become homeowners through resident management and ownership
programs.
ETHICS AND CIVIL RIGHTS
High ethical standards and civil rights for all Americans
are central to this Administration, and we will enforce them --
33
strictly, comprehensively, fairly, and to the letter and spirit
of the law.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Campaign Finance Reform: The President's comprehensive
campaign finance proposal is designed to lessen the power of
special economic interests and restore competition to
American Congressional elections. The package, which seeks
to increase the role of individuals and political parties in
the electoral process, has four facets:
-- Eliminating political action committees (PACs)
supported by corporations, unions or trade
associations, and prohibiting such entities from paying
for the overhead or administrative costs of any
independent PAC.
--
Strengthening political parties by increasing the
amounts they can spend on behalf of congressional
candidates. This source of funds would permit
legislators to spend less time fundraising, would
ensure that challengers have greater resources with
which to challenge incumbents, and would further limit
the role of special economic interests in elections.
--
Addressing the problem of the "permanent Congress" by
reforms designed to reduce the unwarranted advantages
of incumbency. Specifically, the proposals would
34
prohibit the personal use of excess campaign funds,
drastically reduce Congressional mailings under the
frank, ban the rollover of campaign funds from one
election cycle to the next, and legislate fair neutral
criteria for the redistricting of Congressional and
legislative lines that will follow the 1990 census.
-- Fully disclosing all soft money spent by the political
parties and all labor unions, corporations and trade
associations to influence a federal election.
Ethics: The President issued an Executive Order creating
the President's Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform. On
March 9, the Commission filed its report and its
recommendations to the President. Legislation was sent
April 12th to the Congress, and the President issued an
Executive Order announcing ethical principles for the
conduct of executive branch employees. The President's
proposals include:
-- A ban on outside earned income for non-career
Presidential appointees in the executive branch,
including all employees in the immediate White House
Office.
-- Expanded financial disclosure for all three branches of
government.
35
-- Prohibition of the conversion of political
contributions for personal or office use.
-- Deferral of tax liability when an individual is
required by his or her agency to divest assets in order
to avoid conflicts of interest.
-- Strengthened rules against abusing the revolving door
for private gain at the expense of the public trust.
These rules also apply to the legislative branch.
-- A 25 percent pay raise for federal judges was proposed
in separate legislation submitted April 12, while the
ethics reform legislation restricts their acceptance of
honoraria. President Bush believes that honoraria for
Members of Congress should be banned; however, the
President will not formalize that proposal until after
he consults with Congress on that issue and their pay
raise. He will include in that discussion the question
of a pay increase for certain executive branch
positions.
-- The extension of the Independent Counsel statute to
cover the Congress.
-- The extension of the federal statute that prohibits
employees from taking actions that enhance their own
financial interest to cover legislative and judicial
branch employees.
36
-- The establishment of an independent ethics office for
the Congress, to be headed by a clearly nonpartisan
official, confirmed by both houses.
-- The application of the existing one-year post-
employment "cooling-off" period for senior executive-
branch employees to the legislative and judicial
branches.
Whistleblower protection: The President supports public
servants who revere the trust placed in them by the American
people. On April 10, the President signed S. 20, the
"Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989." This law will
strengthen the protections and procedural rights available
to those federal employees who report misdeeds and
mismanagement.
-- This new law will enhance the authority of the Office
of Special Counsel, and whistleblowers will also now be
allowed to take their cases to the Merit Systems
Protection Board.
-- The statute alters the legal burdens of proof, making
it easier for employees to be vindicated when they are
wrongfully penalized by their supervisors for
whistleblowing activities.
37
o
Civil rights: The Administration has taken a number of
actions to protect the civil rights of all Americans,
including several court actions in key civil rights cases.
-- On March 8, the Department of Justice endorsed the
objectives of the Hate Crimes Bill and voiced no
opposition to the bill's enactment. The Hate Crimes
Bill provides for the collection of data about crimes
motivated by race, religion, ethnicity or sexual
orientation.
--
On March 13, Attorney General Thornburgh announced the
filing of Federal housing discrimination lawsuits
seeking monetary damages and civil penalties under the
expanded enforcement authority of the Fair Housing
Amendments Act of 1988.
# # #
Document No. 05691955
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 7/25/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
12:00 NOON, 7/26/89
SUBJECT: SIX MONTHS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
Bennett
CARD
Boskin
CICCONI
Petersmeyer
DEMAREST
Rogers
FITZWATER
Winston
GRAY
Pintarton
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss Winston
(Rm. 122, Ext. 2930) with an info copy to my office no later than
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 1989. Please note that TWO DOCUMENTS
are attached. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Name
JUL26
68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext 2702
Document No. 05691955
action: CC: Brian JT&RS Madigan
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 7/25/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 12:00 NOON, 7/26/89
SUBJECT: SIX MONTHS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
Bennett
CARD
Boskin
CICCONI
Petersmeyer
DEMAREST
Rogers
FITZWATER
Winston
GRAY
Pintarton
E8
HAGIN
REMARKS:
All
Please provide your comments/recommendations directly to Chriss Winston
(Rm. 122, Ext. 2930) with an info copy to my office no later than
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 1989. Please note that TWO DOCUMENTS
are attached. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Please noteall items circled in blue pen; ignue other
comments. We will provide jerral data updates fmound.
MBrler
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
1
( (Grant))
July 21, 1989
Draft two
A:sixmonth
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
SIX MONTHS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
SUMMARY
As the Bush Administration passes the six-month mark,
Americans know that the President has set the agenda on a number
of fronts domestically -- from the environment and education to
the fight against drugs and crime. The economy is strong, with
the current economic expansion continuing to set new records.
Meanwhile, America is standing tall in the international arena,
after President Bush's leadership at two multilateral summits
paved the way for greater understanding among the allies and
improved relations with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc
nations.
KEEPING THE ECONOMY STRONG
Record expansion: During the current economic expansion --
\
now in its 79th month as of June -- nearly 20 million jobs
have been created and the unemployment rate has fallen to
levels not seen in 15 years. Income levels continue to set
growth iN
records, and industrial output is nearly double that of
the statement ON pg.2 oF the detisiled
document properly refers to growth mother Than levels.
BE
THIS SHOULIKE ED
2
Europe. Consumer price inflation has remained under 5
True ON Q4/Q4 and Dec/Dec bases
percent for the past 7 years:
FAlse ON year/year bAsis (ONly 6, years),
He Administration Forecasts that IN Plation For
but this is Not The usual basis,
1989 Also will be pround that Figure pid That
NOTE: INflation go FAr This year
INFlation will recede IN coving years,
is 5.9%
Budget agreement: The President has put forth a budget which
restrains overall growth of spending and meets the Gramm-
Rudman-Hollings targets -- with no new taxes in fiscal year
1990. The President and Congress announced on April 14 a
budget plan to reduce the estimated fiscal year 1990 deficit
by about $64 billion below fiscal year 1989. $49 billion reduction
true For April 14, But 7/18/89 Midsession review has A
under "President Policy"
Versions of
Savings and Loans: The Administration's proposal to solve
were
the savings and loan crisis was passed by the House and
DiFFerent versions were passed
Senate and is currently in conference.
And that's why it's in
conference,
Third World debt: The Administration has taken the lead in
finding a way to reduce the debt burden of developing
countries. With the Administration's encouragement, the IMF
and World Bank have set aside funds to aid debt reduction.
Capital gains tax cut: The President has sent to the
that
Congress a proposal which which would re-establish a capital gains
differential will encourage capital formation, saving, and
job formation.
Minimum wage: The President, by vetoing the across-the-board
increase in the minimum wage proposed by Congress, preserved
3
job opportunities for the disadvantaged and blunted the
adverse economic impact such a move would have had.
International Trade: The Bush Administration successfully
broke a stalemate in international trade talks and advanced
its proposal to correct and prevent trade distortions in
agriculture. It is engaged in bilateral trade talks with
important trading partners to encourage them to open their
markets to our exports.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
"Europe Whole and Free": In a series of major speeches in
April and May, the President outlined a vision of a new
Europe -- secure, prosperous, whole and free -- vindicating
four decades of Western policies.
Poland and Hungary: The President signalled his strong
support for the people of Hungary and Poland as they move
toward more democratic reforms -- by visiting those nations
and offering political and moral support as well as economic
and trade incentives.
Economic Summit: The unity of the industrial democracies was
demonstrated at the Paris Economic Summit, as President Bush
4
took the lead in encouraging our allies to support Polish
and Hungarian economic reforms.
"Beyond Containment": The President has responded to great
changes in the Soviet Union with his policy to move "beyond
containment" by integrating the Soviet Union into the world
order.
Arms Control/NATO Summit: In arms control, the pace of
negotiations with the Soviet Union has accelerated, with new
American initiatives on Conventional Forces in Europe (which
the President unveiled at the NATO Summit), on banning
chemical weapons, and on strategic arms reduction.
Soviet Relations: The US-Soviet dialogue on conflicts in
regions of the Third World has resumed intensively, and a
US-Soviet dialogue has begun on a new range of global
problems which require global cooperation, such as
terrorism, the environment, and narcotics.
China: In response to the suppression of the democratic
movement in China, the President signalled that we cannot
condone repression while he worked to preserve the basic
elements of a strategically important relationship.
5
Central American accord: The President and Congressional
leaders agreed on March 24 on a bipartisan strategy for
peace and democracy in Central America.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
Education: The President proposed and sent to the Congress a
comprehensive education package, The Educational Excellence
Act of 1989, which includes seven initiatives on merit and
magnet schools, alternative certification of teachers,
excellence awards for teachers, emergency grants to help
urban schools to fight drugs, new funding for endowments at
Historically Black Colleges, and a National Science Scholars
program.
wring not proplem it does Yuto of
Natural Gas Deregulation: On July 26, the President signed
into law the Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989, which ends all
the wellhead,
remaining price controls on natural gas, This will phase
out all federal price controls on natural gas.
Clean Air Act revisions: On July 21, President Bush
transmitted to the Congress the first revisions to the Clean
Air Act since 1977. His legislation is designed to
6
drastically reduce three major threats to the nation's
environment: acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air
emissions.
Hasardous waste: The President announced he will be seeking
new legislation to ban all exports of hazardous waste except
where an agreement already exists with the receiving country
to provide for its safe handling.
Ozone depletion: The President has called for a total
worldwide phaseout of CFCs by the year 2000, provided safe
substitutes are available, in order to prevent further
damage to the earth's protective ozone layer.
Clean water: The EPA has started a tracking system for
medical wastes and the Justice Department has started a task
force to prosecute these abuses -- the first step in a
comprehensive program to help keep our beaches clean. The
President is committed to end ocean dumping of sewage sludge
by 1991.
Wetlands: The President is committed to "no net loss of
wetlands" and is directing his agencies to work toward that
goal. He has also proposed $206 million in his budget to
expand our parks and wildlife refuges.
7
Combatting Violent Crime: President Bush transmitted to
Congress The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1989 to
combat violent crime. Measures will augment enforcement and
prosecution, strengthen current law, control certain semi-
automatic weapons, and expand prison capacity.
Fighting Drug Abuse: The Administration is requesting $6
billion in funding for FY 1990 to fight the drug war,
increasing outlays by nearly $1 billion for drug education,
treatment and enforcement.
Drug Czar: The Office of National Drug Control Policy has
responded to the drug emergency in the District of Columbia
by expanding the Metropolitan Area Task Force, working for
more prisons, providing support in enforcement, and
providing assistance to local treatment efforts.
Space: The President announced a three step commitment to
establish America's preeminence in space -- Space Station
Freedom, a permanent presence on the Moon, and a manned
mission to Mars.
Public Housing: The Bush Administration is working to make
public housing drug free, to protect the rights of the vast
majority of decent, law-abiding public housing residents.
8
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
Child Care: The President has transmitted to the Congress a
child care package, the Working Family Child Care Assistance
Act of 1989 which provides a new refundable child care tax
credit of up to $1000 per child under four, for low and
moderate income working families. This legislation will
make the existing Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
refundable, and does not discriminate against religious- and
family-based child care.
Head Start: The President has also transmitted legislation
to the Congress which would increase the FY 1990
authorization for Head Start by $250 million; this will pay
for enrollment of up to 95,000 more four-year-olds in the
program.
National Service: The President spearheaded a movement to
encourage national service, and announced the formation of a
foundation called the Points of Light Initiative to
identify, enlarge and recreate those community service
initiatives which are working.
Welfare Reform: The Administration issued proposed rules on
April 18 to implement the major provisions of the Family
9
Support Act of 1988, as a step toward welfare reform. The
Administration is proposing to spend $3.3 billion over the
next five years implementing the JOBS program. The changes
will help reduce the number of individuals on welfare.
Medicaid: On April 18, the Administration forwarded to
Congress proposed legislation to make federal Medicaid
programs better serve pregnant women, infants and children.
Homelessness: President Bush has called for fully funding
the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act and for a new $50
million matching grant program to promote public/private
partnerships to assist homeless families and the mentally
ill.
Enterprise Zones: President Bush asked Congress to enact
labor and capital-based incentives -- through urban
enterprise zones -- to create jobs and entrepreneurial
activity in our most distressed communities.
Campaign Finance Reform: The President's comprehensive
campaign finance proposal is designed to lessen the power of
special economic interests and restore competition to
American Congressional elections.
10
O
Ethics: President Bush sent comprehensive ethics legislation
to the Congress on April 12th, and he issued an Executive
Order announcing ethical principles for the conduct of
executive branch employees.
Whistleblower Protection: On April 10, the President signed
S. 20, the "Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989." This law
will strengthen the protections and procedural rights
available to those federal employees who report misdeeds and
mismanagement.
Civil Rights: The Administration has taken a number of
actions to protect the civil rights of all Americans,
including several court actions in key civil rights cases.
###
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
SIX MONTHS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
KEEPING THE ECONOMY STRONG
Maintaining the current expansion with low inflation is the
key to improving standards of living, increasing job
opportunities for all Americans, and increasing investment in
productive capacity. Economic performance during this expansion
has been very good, and the policies proposed by the Bush
Administration are designed to preserve this strong record.
Record peacetime expansion: The current expansion reached 79
months in June.
Job creation: Nearly 20 million new jobs have been created
during this expansion, and the unemployment rate fell to
levels not seen in 15 years. During this decade, America
has created more new jobs than Japan and the nations of
Western Europe combined.
Record income: Real per capita disposable personal income --
This CAN
be updated
the Average person
personal income after taxes and inflation -- has risen 19
AFter get For GNP Q2 The we
percent during this expansion. Real median family income --
Figures
the level of income after inflation which splits the family
Atev this
of the family exectly in
week,
The middle
2
income distribution in half -- set a new record in 1987, the
last year for which data are available.
The change
O
Industrial output: During this expansion, American
is that ON Necessary A both compA Figures suble so Q1. are bosis
40
(through QI)
industrial output has grown almost 41 percent compared with
However, i.e will ,Through be This
Figures
qualiable week,
overall economic growth of 29 percent. This is almost
later CAN
double Europe's growth rate in industrial output.
spdate we this.
Higher national saving and investment: During the first
Figures For
NiNe
eight months of fiscal year 1989, the Federal Government
June
the Ninth
budget deficit is less than during the same period in the
month
Are NOW
previous fiscal year. Partly due to the discipline of GRH,
Aurilable,
the Federal deficit has declined from 5.4 percent of GNP in
fiscal year 1985 to about 2.9 percent this fiscal year. The
personal saving rate has risen to 5.4 percent in the first
These
requirested
quarter of 1989 from its recent low of 2.2 percent in the
lufer CPN be this week.
second quarter of 1987. Business fixed investment as a
percent of real GNP has risen from a recent low of 11.1
percent in the first quarter of 1987 to 12.3 percent in the
first quarter of 1989.
Inflation under control: Consumer price inflation has
see COMMENT ON pg
And the Administ retion expects such A Figure For 1989 AS A whole,
remained under 5 percent for the past 7 years, and the
Moreover,
(1989: HI
is 5.9%)
recent slowing in economic growth to a sustainable rate will
lessen price pressures in the near future. The
3
Administration and the Federal Reserve share the goal of
ultimately achieving price stability.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Presenting a budget: The President put forth a budget which
addresses our fundamental obligations for the protection of
national security and support of the needy, while providing
sufficient funds to advance high-priority initiatives. The
President's budget restrains overall growth of spending and
meets the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings targets -- with no new taxes
in fiscal year 1990.
Reaching a budget agreement with Congress: The President
and Congress announced on April 14 a budget plan to reduce
the estimated fiscal year 1990 deficit by about $64 billion
President's policy"
below fiscal year 1989. The deficit will be reduced to
$99.2
below the MAXIMUM specified
Figure is
$99.4 billion, as required by the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law.
G-R-H trought
$99.26
iN recent years
This is the first budget agreement reached before the start
is $100b.
of the budget year and not framed in the context of crisis.
Versions It
different
Savings and Loan reform: The Administration's proposal to
were
solve the savings and loan crisis was passed by the House
proposal passed. were
and Senate and is currently in conference. The proposal
included provisions to:
4
--
Assure the financial integrity of deposit insurance by
raising the annual premium rate for both commercial
banks and S&Ls.
stitutions
(5$Ls
Resolve the status of existing insolvent banks in an
rather issue
orderly fashion.
banks)
-- Improve supervisory control by bringing S&Ls up to the
same standards applied to commercial banks.
--
Enhance the enforcement of bank fraud provisions.
Solution of the international debt problem: The
Administration has taken the lead in finding a way to reduce
the debt burden of developing countries. With the
Administration's encouragement, the IMF and World Bank have
set aside funds to aid debt reduction in conjunction with
their ongoing programs to promote investment, growth, and
the return of flight capital to these countries.
Capital gains tax rate cut: The re-establishment of a
capital gains differential will encourage capital formation,
saving, and job formation. The President has sent to the
Congress a proposal which includes:
-- A 45 percent capital gains exclusion for qualified
capital gains, making the maximum capital gains tax
rate 15 percent.
--
A phased-in increase in the qualifying holding period
from one year to three years.
5
--
An exemption from the capital gains tax for families
earning under $20,000.
Minimum wage proposal: The President believes in keeping job
opportunities available for youth and for those seeking to
enter the economic mainstream. The across-the-board
increase in the minimum wage which was proposed by Congress
would have had an adverse economic impact and cut job
opportunities drastically. Because of this, he vetoed the
bill passed by Congress.
International Trade: The Administration is forcefully
promoting the opening of world markets. It successfully
broke a stalemate in international trade talks and advanced
its proposal to correct and prevent trade distortions in
agriculture. It is engaged in bilateral trade talks with
important trading partners to encourage them to open their
markets to our exports. Together these efforts should
greatly expand opportunities for U.S. exports.
Agricultural initiatives: The Administration has announced
additional advance deficiency payments of 10 percent
available to producers of wheat, feed grains, rice and
upland cotton. In addition, a top-level Working Group on
Rural Development was established by the President to focus
on an action-oriented agenda.
6
Clean Air: The Administration transmitted to the Congress
on July 21 a Clean Air Act which will harness the power of
the marketplace in achieving the goals of the act in the
most cost-effective manner possible.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
President Bush is committed to a strong American role of
world leadership and sees in present global trends an
unprecedented opportunity for strengthening both world peace and
the cause of freedom. He has taken the initiative to seize that
opportunity.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
"Europe Whole and Free": In a series of major speeches in
April and May, the President outlined a vision of a new
Europe -- secure, prosperous, whole and free -- vindicating
four decades of Western policies.
--
Western Europe: As the European Community heads toward
a single market in 1992, and also develops its
political institutions and a more coordinated approach
to foreign policy, the President has pledged his
support for close cooperation with the EC and its
member states. We see the resurgence of Western Europe
7
as a triumph of Western values and principles. We
welcome its success, confident that a mature
partnership will serve mutual interests.
--
Eastern Europe: As Poland and Hungary take
unprecedented steps of reform, permitting first steps
toward pluralism, democracy, and market economic
policies, the United States has signaled its strong
support. Offering political and moral support as well
as economic incentives, the President proposed:
--
Poland: Following up on the program the President
announced earlier this year in Hamtramck, Michigan, he
called for action to declare Poland a beneficiary
country under the U.S. Generalized System of
Preferences. OPIC will be authorized to operate in
Poland, and the US is proposing a private business
agreement that will promote contacts between the
private sectors of both countries. The President will
ask Congress to provide a $100 million fund to help
capitalize the Polish private sector, and encourage the
World Bank to move ahead with new loans to help Polish
agriculture and industry. Finally, he will ask
Congress for $15 million in a cooperative venture with
Poland to help fight air and water pollution in Krakow.
He has encouraged our friends in the Paris Club to
provide more liberalized terms in rescheduling Polish
debt.
8
-- Hungary: The President will ask the Congress to
authorize a $25 million fund as a source of new capital
to invigorate the Hungarian private sector. Pending
the passage of new emigration legislation in the
Hungarian Parliament, the President will inform
Congress that Hungary has been released from the
restrictions of the Jackson-Vanik Amendments, allowing
more liberal access to the American market. The
President also offered access to the Generalized System
of Preferences. He called for OPIC to operate in
Hungary, and called for greater scientific, technical,
educational and cultural exchanges between the US and
Hungary. The President said that the US will open an
American House in Budapest, and will seek to establish
an International Environmental Center for Central and
Eastern Europe, in Budapest as well. Finally, he
announced that the Peace Corps would operate in Hungary
-- the first time in a European country.
-- The Economic Summit in Paris: The mission of the
President's historic visit to Poland and Hungary in
early July, and of the President's successful effort at
the Paris Economic Summit was to promote concerted
actions in areas of mutual concern among the industrial
democracies. The unity of the industrial democracies
was demonstrated, as they dealt with a variety of
issues from the economy to East-West strategies to
9
global environmental issues. Similarly, the solidarity
of the democracies was demonstrated earlier at the NATO
summit, as the North Atlantic allies dealt with arms
control initiatives.
--
Throughout the trip, the President declared that we
face a historic opportunity to lower the barriers that
have kept Europe divided. The Cold War began over
Eastern Europe, and if it is to end, it must end there
as well.
O
"Beyond Containment": Seeing a historic process of change
also in the Soviet Union, the President has declared his
intention to move beyond the successful policy of
containment of Soviet power to a new policy whose goals is
integrating the Soviet Union into the world community as a
constructive partner. Constructive changes so far in Soviet
policies -- in human rights, economic reforms, and
settlement of some international conflicts -- need to be
encouraged and broadened. The United States will be ready
to respond to such further developments. Already:
-- The US-Soviet dialogue on conflicts in regions of the
Third World has resumed intensively, with regular
meetings at the level of Assistant Secretary of State.
-- A US-Soviet dialogue has begun on a new range of global
problems which require global cooperation, such as
terrorism, the environment, and narcotics.
10
--
In arms control, the pace of negotiations has
accelerated, with new American initiatives on
Conventional Forces in Europe (which the President
unveiled at the NATO Summit), on banning chemical
weapons, and on strategic arms reduction.
China: In response to the tragic suppression of the
democratic movement in China, the President ordered the
suspension of all government-to-government sales and
commercial exports of weapons, suspension of visits between
US and Chinese military leaders, sympathetic review of
requests by Chinese students in the United States to extend
their stay, and review of other aspects of US-PRC bilateral
relations. The President's policy is to signal that we
cannot condone repression, but also to preserve the basic
elements of a relationship that has itself played a major
part in China's recent policy of reform and openness as well
as being of enormous strategic importance.
Bipartisan Accord on Central America: The President and
Congressional leaders agreed on March 24 on a bipartisan
strategy for peace and democracy in Central America:
-- Regional peace: The President and Congress agreed that
the region's democracies deserve our support, that
Nicaragua's subversion of its neighbors must end, and
11
that Soviet support for violence and subversion in the
hemisphere must also end.
--
Humanitarian aid: Congress agreed to support the
Administration's request for continued humanitarian
assistance for the Nicaraguan Democratic Resistance at
current levels through the elections in Nicaragua
scheduled for February 1990.
--
Democracy: The Communist Sandinistas are being put to
the test next February -- to permit a real democratic
contest for political power, fulfilling the promises of
democratic pluralism that they have made (and broken)
so often before.
Middle East Peace Process: The Administration is supporting
the Middle East parties in efforts to launch a peace
process. Our approach is based on the concept of
Palestinian elections in the occupied territories, which we
believe can be a step toward a comprehensive peace
settlement that assures Israel's security and the legitimate
political rights of the Palestinians.
Initiative on Third World Debt: The President's initiative
to strengthen the international strategy on Third World debt
has already received broad support from both industrial and
developing countries. The approach is designed to promote
sustained growth in developing countries by:
12
--
Emphasizing sound market-oriented economic policies in
debtor countries, particularly measure to promote
investment and repatriation of flight capital;
--
Increasing the focus on debt and debt service reduction
to complement new lending by commercial banks;
-- Using resources from the World Bank and IMF to catalyze
voluntary debt and debt service reduction by the
commercial banks.
GATT: In the Uruguay Round of GATT trade negotiations,
progress has been made toward a multilateral agreement
reducing trade barriers to exports.
Bilateral Meetings: The President has met with a total of
XXX foreign leaders while in office, including 18 bilateral
meetings during the trip to Emperor Hirohito's funeral, XX
during the NATO Summit, and XX on the trip to Poland,
Hungary, the Netherlands, and the Economic Summit.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
EDUCATION
The President's actions to improve education are guided by
four key principles: that excellence and success in education
should be recognized and rewarded; that federal funding should be
targeted to those who need it most; that choice and flexibility -
13
- for educators, parents and students -- are important to
educational reform and to achieving excellence; and finally, that
greater accountability is needed in the education system to
assure that students are actually receiving the highest quality
education.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
The President proposed and sent to the Congress a
comprehensive education package, The Educational Excellence
Act of 1989 which includes seven initiatives:
-- The Presidential Merit Schools program -- to reward
schools that have made substantial progress in raising
students' educational achievement, creating a safe and
drug-free school environment, and reducing the drop-out
rate.
--
A new Magnet Schools of Excellence program -- to
support the establishment, expansion or enhancement of
magnet schools, increasing parental choice and
improving quality education.
-- The Alternative Certification of Teachers and
Principals program -- to assist States interested in
broadening the pool of talent from which to recruit
teachers and principals.
14
--
President's Awards for Excellence in Education -- to be
awarded to public and private school teachers in every
state who meet the highest standards of excellence.
Drug-free Schools Urban Emergency Grants -- to provide
special assistance to selected urban school districts
that are disproportionately affected by drug
trafficking and abuse.
-- A National Science Scholars program -- to provide
college scholarships to high school seniors who have
excelled in the sciences and mathematics.
:
Additional Funding Authorization for Endowment Matching
Grants at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
to strengthen HBCUs by building endowments, an
especially effective way to create financial strength
and long-term security.
THE ENVIRONMENT
President Bush, a long-time environmentalist, has taken
strong action to protect the environment. He is working
shoulder-to-shoulder with Interior Secretary Lujan, Energy
Secretary Watkins, and EPA Administrator Reilly on a number of
fronts.
15
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Natural Gas Decontrol: On July 26, the President signed into
law the Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989, which ends all
remaining price controls on natural gas. This will phase
out all federal price controls on natural gas.
Clean Air legislation: President Bush transmitted to the
Congress a sweeping program to ensure clean air for all
Americans. The President's plan, transmitted to Congress on
July 21, 1989, calls for the first revisions to the Clean
Air Act since 1977 and is designed to curb three major
threats to the nation's environment: acid rain, urban air
pollution, and toxic air emissions.
-- Acid Rain: Sulfur dioxide emissions that cause acid
rain will be cut in half, by ten million tons, and
nitrogen oxide levels cut by two million tons -- by the
end of this century. Companies will be allowed to
trade credits among themselves for reductions they
make, so that they can decide how to bring aggregate
emissions down as cost-effectively as possible.
-- Urban Air Pollution: By employing a mix of federal
measures and state initiatives, this legislation will
sharply cut air pollution in our cities. The federal
measures alone will cut hydrocarbon emissions -- which
by almost
contribute to urban ozone -- virtually in half.
16
Currently, 81 cities don't meet Federal air
quality standards. This legislation will bring clean
air to all but 25 cities by 1995 -- and within 20
years, even to Los Angeles, Houston and New York.
In the nine urban areas with the greatest smog
problems, smog will be cut through alternative fuels
and clean-fueled vehicles. The President is calling
IN phases
with
for the phased-in introduction of a half a million
Also could
ANd
Add "three-
clean-fueled vehicles in 1995, building up to a million
quacters of
in 1997 through 2007.
X
A million iN
1996,"
To the maximum extent feasible, automobile and
fuel companies will be allowed to trade reduction
credits among themselves.
-- Toxic Air Emissions: All categories of airborne toxic
chemicals should be cut by 75 percent by the year 2000.
In its first phase, this initiative should eliminate
about three-quarters of the needless deaths from cancer
that are suspected to have been caused by toxic
industrial air emissions.
Until now, because of an unworkable law, the EPA
has been able to regulate only seven of the 280 known
air toxics. These reforms will allow EPA to do its job
better, and will apply the most advanced industrial
technology available to control these airborne poisons.
The legislation promises certifiable progress in
17
regulating sources of toxic air emissions on a set
schedule.
Alaskan oil spill: A Cabinet-level team was sent to assess
the Alaskan oil spill, and a joint federal-state resource
recovery team was convened. The National Transportation
Safety Board is investigating the accident itself. Exxon
has accepted responsibility for paying for the cleanup, and
for employing local civilian personnel necessary to control
further damage. EPA Administrator Reilly is coordinating the
long-range planning to restore the environment of Prince
William Sound, and the President has ordered a review of
existing contingency plans for accidents such as this.
-- The President has set up a special task force to
address environmental concerns about oil and gas
drilling off the coasts of California and Florida.
--
The Administration transmitted to the Congress a
comprehensive oil spill liability bill, to XXX (call
Transoportation)
Cleaning up hazardous wastes: The President announced he
will be seeking new legislation to give the United States
Government authority to ban all exports of hazardous waste
except where an agreement exists with the receiving country
providing for the safe handling and management of those
wastes.
18
Also, Secretary of Energy Watkins has put forth a plan of
action to identify and prioritize clean up of defense and
civilian radioactive waste.
Superfund: The President is reinvigorating the Superfund
hazardous waste clean-up program by directing EPA to take a
number of actions, including more aggressive action to force
private parties to clean up sites, stepped-up cost recovery,
and better use of existing emergency cleanup authorities.
EPA is also now finishing a priority review of Superfund to
improve its operation.
Ozone depletion: The President has called for a total
worldwide phaseout of CFCs by the year 2000, provided safe
substitutes are available, in order to prevent further
damage to the earth's protective ozone layer.
Clean water and coastlines: The EPA has started a tracking
system for medical wastes and the Justice Department has
set
up
started a task force to prosecute these abuses -- the first
step in a comprehensive program to help keep our beaches
clean. The President is committed to end ocean dumping of
sewage sludge by 1991.
19
Wetlands: The President is committed to "no net loss of
wetlands" and is directing his agencies to work toward that
goal. He has also proposed $206 million in his budget to
expand our parks and wildlife refuges.
COMBATTING VIOLENT CRIME
The President is working to strengthen the nation's criminal
justice system and the Federal, state, and local law enforcement
partnership.
Four principles underlie the goals of our criminal justice
system and the means for accomplishing them: First, to protect
citizens and their property; to hold those who commit violent
crimes accountable for their actions; to have as the objective of
our criminal justice system the swift and certain apprehension,
prosecution and incarceration of those who break the law; and
finally, to ensure a sustained, cooperative effort by Federal,
State and local law enforcement authorities.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
On May 15, 1989, President Bush transmitted to Congress The
Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1989 to combat violent
crime. Elements of the legislation include:
20
-- Strengthening Current Laws: The President is calling
on Congress to double the mandatory minimum penalties
-- from five years to ten years in Federal prison --
for the use of semi-automatic weapons in violent crimes
or drug felonies.
In addition, the Attorney General has been
directed to advise America's prosecutors to end plea
bargaining for violent Federal firearms offenses.
President Bush called on Congress to enact the
steps necessary to implement the death penalty for the
most serious Federal crimes, and urged state Governors
to match these Federal initiatives -- new mandatory
sentencing, tougher rules on plea bargaining, and
implementing the death penalty -- in the States.
-- Controlling Certain Semi-Automatic Weapons: The
President also announced that the Administration has
made permanent the temporary suspension on the
importation of any semi-automatic weapons which fail to
meet the criteria specified in the Gun Control Act of
1968; he also called for the closing of loopholes which
allow access to such guns by certain classes of
criminals. The President introduced legislation
prohibiting the importation, manufacture, sale or
transfer of gun magazines of more than 15 rounds.
-- Augmenting Enforcement: The President has directed the
Attorney General and the Treasury Secretary, working
21
together with state and local authorities, to launch a
comprehensive, coordinated offensive against America's
most violent criminals.
President Bush requested funding for hiring 825
new Federal agents and staff -- 375 at the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; 300 at the FBI; and 150
Deputy U.S. Marshals. This offensive, including State
and local enforcement authorities, will target violent
criminals and repeat offenders.
-- Enhancing Prosecution: The President proposed
increased funds for the U.S. Attorneys Offices to
support 1,600 new prosecutors and staff, and increased
funds for the Justice Department Criminal Division to
support 168 new positions, to handle drug cases,
weapons offenses and other priority matters.
-- Expanding Prison Capacity: The President proposed an
additional $1 billion for Federal prison construction,
bringing the total FY 1990 budget to over $1.5 billion.
This will add 24,000 new Federal prison beds to the
current 31,000 beds, an increase of nearly 80%.
FIGHTING DRUG ABUSE
We have begun a new war on drugs in this country. The
President believes a four-pronged approach is key: education,
rehabilitation, interdiction and enforcement. The policy of
22
this Administration is "zero tolerance." No amount of illegal
drug use is acceptable. This means dealing with both supply and
demand.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Budget: The Administration is requesting $6 billion in
funding for FY 1990 to fight the drug war, increasing
outlays by nearly $1 billion for drug education, treatment
and enforcement.
Education: The Administration is requesting nearly $1.1
billion for education and prevention efforts. This is a 16
percent increase over 1989, and includes funding for ongoing
programs and new initiatives.
Rehabilitation: Funding for drug abuse treatment will be
increased 18 percent. The Administration is proposing over
$700 million to expand the nation's capacity to provide
treatment, particularly to the indigent, disadvantaged,
youth, and expectant mothers.
Interdiction and enforcement: The Administration is
proposing over $4.1 billion for law enforcement programs in
1990, a 10 percent increase over 1989. This constitutes
about 70 percent of President Bush's proposed drug budget.
23
Substantial increases are requested in funding to strengthen
inspection, interdiction, intelligence efforts and crop
eradication programs, such as Operation Polar Cap, a
federally led effort which broke up a $1.2 billion drug
money-laundering operation. The President strongly supports
the death penalty for drug kingpins who commit drug-related
murders, and will appoint judges who will strongly enforce
the drug penalty laws.
Public housing: The Bush Administration is working to make
public housing drug free, to protect the rights of the vast
majority of decent, law-abiding public housing residents.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has acted:
-- To modify its lease and grievance procedures to
facilitate eviction of those involved in drug related
criminal activity;
-- To make drug use and trafficking a lease violation
subject to eviction proceedings;
-- To target federal assistance to anti-drug security
measures;
-- To revoke federal housing subsidies from those dealing
in drugs;
-- To involve the private and voluntary sectors in efforts
to rid public housing of drugs and give residents,
especially young people, a stake in their communities
and their futures.
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In addition, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has
responded to the drug emergency in the District of Columbia
by expanding the Metropolitan Area Task Force, working for
more prisons, providing FBI support in enforcement, and
providing the assistance of the National Institute on Drug
Abuse to local treatment efforts. The Department of
Education will provide the District with 50 percent more
funds for drug prevention programs in city schools. The
Department of Labor will provide support for employee
assistance programs and work with the business community to
increase job training for youth.
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
CHILD CARE
The changing nature of American society heightens the need
for quality, affordable, accessible child care. President Bush
wants to put choice in the hands of parents so that they -- not
government -- have the power to select the best and safest
environment for their children.
25
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Child care: The President has transmitted to the Congress a
child care package, the Working Family Child Care Assistance
Act of 1989 which:
--
Provides a new refundable child care tax credit of up
to $1000 per child under four, for low and moderate
income working families.
:
Makes the existing Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
refundable.
--
Does not discriminate against religious- and family-
based child care.
The President has directed Secretary of Labor Dole to study
the market for liability insurance to determine if liability
issues impair child care.
Head Start: The President has also transmitted legislation
to the Congress which would increase the FY 1990
authorization for Head Start by $250 million; this will pay
for enrollment of up to 95,000 , more four-year-olds in the
program.
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NATIONAL SERVICE
The President's strategy for overcoming the disintegration
of communities across America -- not through a federal government
program, but a nationwide service movement -- has three facets:
First, to issue a call to action; second, to identify, enlarge
and recreate what is working; and third, to discover and
encourage new leaders.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
The Call to Action:
--
President Bush called on all Americans and all American
institutions, large and small, to make service of
central value in their daily life and work;
-- All heads of business and professional firms to include
community service among the factors considered in
making hiring, compensation and promotion decisions;
-- Newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations,
cable systems, and other media institutions to identify
service opportunities, spotlight successful service
initiatives and profile outstanding community leaders
regularly;
:
All state and local education boards to uphold the
value of service and to encourage students, faculty and
personnel to serve others;
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-- College and university presidents to recognize the
value of community service in considering applicants,
and to encourage and uphold the value of community
service;
-- and not-for-profit service organizations to build the
capacity to absorb increasing numbers of volunteers in
purposeful roles.
Identifying, Enlarging, and Recreating What is Working: The
President announced the formation of a foundation called the
Points of Light Initiative, of which he will serve as
Honorary Chairman. Formed to identify and build upon what
is working, the Foundation will be a magnet for the best
ideas and brightest programs in community service. The
Administration will ask Congress for $25 million annually to
support this Initiative, which will, in turn, seek matching
funds from the private sector. The President has also
encouraged all governors and mayors nationwide to join the
movement by forming State and local Points of Light working
groups composed of outstanding leaders.
-- Through a Foundation initiative called the ServNet
Project, professional firms, corporations, unions,
schools, religious, civic and not-for-profit groups
will be asked to donate the services of some of their
most talented and promising people for a period of
time. Peer-to-peer working groups will be formed to
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bring examples of successful initiatives and providing
training, technical assistance and other support to
enable other institutions to devise similar
initiatives.
--
Another Foundation initiative, the ServLink Project,
will help improve existing methods of matching would-be
volunteers with purposeful service opportunities.
ServLink will stimulate the development through private
sector resources of "technology links" between those
who wish to serve and those needing service in the
inquirer's own community.
The Foundation will also recognize successful community
initiatives and outstanding leaders through two new
Presidential Awards:
--
The National Service Youth Leadership Awards will
be given each year to individuals.
--
The President's Build a Community Awards will
honor those people and institutions who have
worked together to rebuild families or to
revitalize communities.
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WELFARE REFORM
The Administration has developed a major new education and
job training program to help recipients of Aid to Families with
Dependent Children move off welfare and become economically self-
sufficient.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Welfare reform: The Administration issued proposed rules on
April 18 to implement the major provisions of the Family
Support Act of 1988. The proposed rules are designed to:
--
Target job training assistance to those who are most
likely to benefit and who are most at risk for long-
term welfare dependency.
--
Provide maximum level of flexibility to AFDC parents in
obtaining the type of child care that best suits their
needs, consistent with the Administration's legislative
proposals on child care.
JOBS Program: The Administration is proposing to spend $3.3
billion over the next five years implementing the JOBS
program. The changes will pay benefits in the future by
reducing the number of individuals on welfare. It is
estimated that 138,000 families will be able to leave
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welfare rolls over the next five years as a result of this
program.
EXPANSION OF MEDICAID
The Administration is committed to health care for the
disadvantaged, calling for full funding of Medicaid, $37.6
billion for FY 1990, an increase of $3.3 billion, or 9.6 percent
over the FY 1989 level.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Expanding Medicaid: On April 18, the Administration
forwarded to Congress proposed legislation to make federal
programs better serve pregnant women, infants and children.
The legislation would expand the population Medicaid serves,
making Medicaid available to 1.9 million more women when
they became pregnant. The legislation would:
-- Increase by 374,000 the number of pregnant women and
children eligible for Medicaid.
--
Foster greater participation in Medicaid by eligible
pregnant women by providing services to pregnant women
who are presumed eligible for Medicaid before a formal
eligibility determination is made; and by requiring
States to operate outreach programs in areas of high
infant mortality.
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--
Entitle all children under age 6 who are receiving Food
Stamps to Medicaid coverage for immunizations.
-- Make the Federal match rate for State administration
expenses a uniform 50 percent by gradually reducing
special administrative match rates ranging from 75 to
100 percent. The savings that would result would allow
the legislative eligibility changes proposed by the
President to be implemented within the current
program's spending level.
HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS
President Bush has taken a number of steps to create an
"opportunity society" of jobs, growth, housing and hope for
Americans in need of a helping hand.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Homelessness: ((In his FY 1990 budget)) the President has
proposed to provide over $1 billion in federal resources to
help end homelessness and pave the way to jobs, permanent
housing, health care and human dignity. President Bush's
proposal calls for fully funding the McKinney Homeless
Assistance Act and for a new $50 million matching grant
32
program to promote public/private partnerships to assist
homeless families and the mentally ill.
Enterprise zones: President Bush has called for enactment of
enterprise zone legislation, to give urban and rural areas
the opportunity for jobs and hope for the future. President
Bush asked Congress to enact labor and capital-based
incentives to create jobs and entrepreneurial activity in
our most distressed communities.
Affordable housing: President Bush is committed to making
housing more affordable for low-income families, and to
provide homeownership opportunities to the disadvantaged and
to young families. President Bush proposes to assist
109,000 new families in need of low-income housing, and has
pledged to maintain assistance to those families already
being helped. President Bush has also signalled his
commitment to helping poor residents in public housing to
become homeowners through resident management and ownership
programs.
ETHICS AND CIVIL RIGHTS
High ethical standards and civil rights for all Americans
are central to this Administration, and we will enforce them --
33
strictly, comprehensively, fairly, and to the letter and spirit
of the law.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Campaign Finance Reform: The President's comprehensive
campaign finance proposal is designed to lessen the power of
special economic interests and restore competition to
American Congressional elections. The package, which seeks
to increase the role of individuals and political parties in
the electoral process, has four facets:
--
Eliminating political action committees (PACs)
supported by corporations, unions or trade
associations, and prohibiting such entities from paying
for the overhead or administrative costs of any
independent PAC.
--
Strengthening political parties by increasing the
amounts they can spend on behalf of congressional
candidates. This source of funds would permit
legislators to spend less time fundraising, would
ensure that challengers have greater resources with
which to challenge incumbents, and would further limit
the role of special economic interests in elections.
:
Addressing the problem of the "permanent Congress" by
reforms designed to reduce the unwarranted advantages
of incumbency. Specifically, the proposals would
34
prohibit the personal use of excess campaign funds,
drastically reduce Congressional mailings under the
frank, ban the rollover of campaign funds from one
election cycle to the next, and legislate fair neutral
criteria for the redistricting of Congressional and
legislative lines that will follow the 1990 census.
--
Fully disclosing all soft money spent by the political
parties and all labor unions, corporations and trade
associations to influence a federal election.
Ethics: The President issued an Executive Order creating
the President's Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform. On
March 9, the Commission filed its report and its
recommendations to the President. Legislation was sent
April 12th to the Congress, and the President issued an
Executive Order announcing ethical principles for the
conduct of executive branch employees. The President's
proposals include:
-- A ban on outside earned income for non-career
Presidential appointees in the executive branch,
including all employees in the immediate White House
Office.
-- Expanded financial disclosure for all three branches of
government.
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-- Prohibition of the conversion of political
contributions for personal or office use.
-- Deferral of tax liability when an individual is
required by his or her agency to divest assets in order
to avoid conflicts of interest.
--
Strengthened rules against abusing the revolving door
for private gain at the expense of the public trust.
These rules also apply to the legislative branch.
-- A 25 percent pay raise for federal judges was proposed
in separate legislation submitted April 12, while the
ethics reform legislation restricts their acceptance of
honoraria. President Bush believes that honoraria for
Members of Congress should be banned; however, the
President will not formalize that proposal until after
he consults with Congress on that issue and their pay
raise. He will include in that discussion the question
of a pay increase for certain executive branch
positions.
-- The extension of the Independent Counsel statute to
cover the Congress.
-- The extension of the federal statute that prohibits
employees from taking actions that enhance their own
financial interest to cover legislative and judicial
branch employees.
36
-- The establishment of an independent ethics office for
the Congress, to be headed by a clearly nonpartisan
official, confirmed by both houses.
-- The application of the existing one-year post-
employment "cooling-off" period for senior executive-
branch employees to the legislative and judicial
branches.
Whistleblower protection: The President supports public
servants who revere the trust placed in them by the American
people. On April 10, the President signed S. 20, the
"Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989." This law will
strengthen the protections and procedural rights available
to those federal employees who report misdeeds and
mismanagement.
-- This new law will enhance the authority of the Office
of Special Counsel, and whistleblowers will also now be
allowed to take their cases to the Merit Systems
Protection Board.
-- The statute alters the legal burdens of proof, making
it easier for employees to be vindicated when they are
wrongfully penalized by their supervisors for
whistleblowing activities.
37
Civil rights: The Administration has taken a number of
actions to protect the civil rights of all Americans,
including several court actions in key civil rights cases.
--
On March 8, the Department of Justice endorsed the
objectives of the Hate Crimes Bill and voiced no
opposition to the bill's enactment. The Hate Crimes
Bill provides for the collection of data about crimes
motivated by race, religion, ethnicity or sexual
orientation.
--
On March 13, Attorney General Thornburgh announced the
filing of Federal housing discrimination lawsuits
seeking monetary damages and civil penalties under the
expanded enforcement authority of the Fair Housing
Amendments Act of 1988.
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