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Building a Better America, Draft 5, 12/5/89 [OA 01164] [13]
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Building a Better America, Draft 5, 12/5/89 [OA 01164] [13]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Building a Better America Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
foia Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
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:
Building a Better America Files
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
25997
Folder ID Number:
25997-006
Folder Title:
Building a Better America, Draft 5, 12/5/89 [13]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
18
29
3
7
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/6/89
9:00 AM, FRIDAY, DEC. 8
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA - ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
PORTER ROSE
CICCONI
DELAND
DEMAREST
BROMLEY
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
ANDERSON
GRAY
HAGIN
WRAY
PETERSMEYER
REMARKS:
PINKERTON
The attached is for final review in terms of accuracy and for
inclusion of all relevant initiatives.
Please forward comments directly to Chriss Winston by 9:00 AM,
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONS
Call me if
you have any
questions on
this Espec.
James W. Cicconi
1st TP
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Lisa Jobe
Ext. 2702
X2230
1
Grant 1989 DEC - 6 PM 6: 03
Draft 5
December 5, 1989
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
the Darestic Economy
SUMMARY
renains strong, white
arand the world dramatic
and hopeful
1
As the Bush Administration finishes its first year, changes
are taking place, rapidly in the international arena. The
with Encouragement
from the U.S.
President successfully worked to encourage peaceful progress
successful meeting w/ soviet Chairman mikhal Garbyfer) has been made, and The Pies completed a
toward democracy in Eastern Europe. Relations with the allies
guaressful
our Nato
remain strong, afterAboth both the NATO Summit and the Paris Economic
The Darestic agenda has been full.
Summit 1 In the fall, the President unveiled his National Drug
carvered
Control Strategy in a televised address to the Nation, and called
on Education Summitt w/
the Nation's Governors, together for the Education Summit. The
this year, ranging
Administration proposed initiatives in a number of areas, from
compaign finance and Atthe save
child care to protecting the environment ton ethics reforms. The
time the
is
economy is strong, with the current economic expansion continuing
to set new records and create new jobs.
KEEPING THE ECONOMY STRONG
Record expansion: During the current economic expansion --
in its 84th month as of November -- over 20.5 million jobs
have been created and the unemployment rate has fallen to
levels not seen in 15 years. Income levels have risen
2
sharply and growth in industrial output is over one-and-a-
half times that of Western Europe. Real per capita income,
output and business fixed investment are at record levels.
Yet, consumer price inflation has remained under five
percent for the past seven years.
Savings and Loans: In August the President signed the
Financial Institution Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act
of 1989 to begin resolving the savings and loan situation.
which was
The President's plan introduced in the first days of the
Administration, tackles the enormous fiscal crisis that
existed and calls for tough standards to help ensure such a
crisis never happens again.
Third World debt: The Administration has taken the lead in
finding a way to reduce the debt burden and encourage
economic growth in developing countries. At the
Administration's urging, the IMF and World Bank have set
aside funds to support debt reduction programs for
developing countries. Three countries have successfully
negotiated final debt agreements in principle under the
Administration's debt plan.
International Trade: Leading efforts to promote free and
fair trade, the Bush Administration successfully advanced
the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and its
3
proposal to correct and prevent trade distortions in
agriculture. It is engaged in bilateral trade talks with
Japan to discuss impediments to expanding trade and
encourage it to open its markets to our exports.
Budget policy: After extensive negotiations by the
Administration with Congress an agreement was reached on a
budget plan for FY 1990. The plan meets the Gramm-Rudman-
Hollings deficit target for the fiscal year with no new
taxes.
Minimum wage: The President signed legislation which will
raise the minimum wage in increments to $4.25 an hour by
1991 and will create an historic training wage. A higher
minimum wage will help the working poor, and the new
training wage will allow businesses to provide young, less
experienced workers with job opportunities.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
A Resurgence of Democracy: At the outset of the
Administration, the President developed a strategy to
encourage and help sustain the historic processes taking
place, especially in Eastern Europe. In April, the
President spoke in Hamtramck, Michigan, and called for self-
4
determination in Eastern Europe and an end to the division
of the continent. In May, President Bush called for the
Berlin Wall to come down, and set forth his vision of a
Europe "whole and free" during his visit to Mainz, Germany.
Though events moved faster than anyone anticipated, the
United States remains on the course set by the President
Demosia
last spring. Similarly In the Western Hemisphere
also
democracy continues to advance. In October, the President
attended a meeting of hemispheric President's in Costa Rica
to celebrate 100 years of that country's democracy.
Poland and Hungary: The President's strong support for
political pluralism and economic reform in Poland and
Hungary was highlighted by his visits to those nations and
by the international leadership he has exercised to mobilize
major international backing for these reforms. The
President offered a major U.S. package of economic
assistance and trade and investment incentives to assist in
the economic restructuring of Poland and Hungary which
became the framework for the "support for East European
Democracy Act, " passed by Congress and signed by the
President.
"Beyond Containment": The President has welcomed the
extraordinary political and economic changes underway in the
Soviet Union. In a major speech at Texas A&M, he
5
established a new American policy, "Beyond Containment,"
that seeks to integrate Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
into the community of nations. Major progress has been made
in arms reduction including strategic arms reduction, a
global ban on chemical weapons, and a new "open skies"
initiative. The bilateral agenda has been broadened to
include transnational issues such as the environment and the
struggle against drug abuse.
[Malta to come. ]
Economic Summit: Under President Bush's leadership, the
Paris Economic Summit in July agreed to launch concerted
international action to support Polish and Hungarian
economic reforms and to coordinate efforts for the maximum
effectiveness of Western assistance. The Economic Summit
also made further progress on key U.S. economic and
political objectives such as a strengthened debt strategy,
economic policy coordination, completion of the Uruguay
Round by December 1990 and international cooperation on
protection of the environment.
NATO Summit: The President seized the arms control
initiative and won the strong support of our allies with a
bold proposal to reduce conventional forces in Europe. The
Alliance also agreed on a rapid pace of negotiations aimed
at reaching an agreement within a year. The U.S. proposal
6
would involve deep cuts in Warsaw Pact manpower and
equipment, and moderate cuts on the NATO side to achieve a
stable balance in Europe.
China: Visiting China soon after taking office, the
President underscored the long-term strategic importance of
the Sino-U.S. relationship and his support for the process
of reform. In response to the subsequent suppression of the
democratic movement in China, the President took strong
actions to make clear that we condemn repression even while
we work in the U.S. interest to preserve the basic elements
of this important relationship. The President also acted
swiftly to ensure that no Chinese nationals in the U.S.
would be deported against their will -- action that has
since been extended and broadened.
Central American Accord: The President and Congressional
leaders agreed on March 24 on a bipartisan strategy for
peace and democracy in Central America. With the agreement,
for the first time in years, the U.S. has a broadly
supported strategy aimed at bringing about free and fair
elections and establishment of democracy in Nicaragua. The
Administration also remains committed to the support of
democracy in El Salvador and the rest of the region.
7
Strengthening our Strategic Deterrent: After a thorough
review of U.S. defense strategy, the President submitted to
the Congress a defense budget that will modernize our
deterrent capability including, after more than a decade of
debate, specific proposals for two mobile ICBMs. The
strategic modernization program also includes the
revolutionary B-2 bomber, the D-5 missile for our submarine
force, and funding to support an informed development and
deployment decision on the Strategic Defense Initiative
within the next four years. Although Congress made some
reductions in the Administration's requests for these and
other programs, its actions generally support the Presidents
objectives.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
Education Summit: The President called the Nation's
Governors together for an historic Education Summit. The
Administration and the Governors committed to facilitate
education reform in America by: establishing national
education goals; working for greater flexibility in the use
of Federal funds in exchange for increased accountability;
implementing state-by-state restructuring of the education
system; and adopting ways of measuring progress.
8
Educational Excellence: The President submitted to Congress
a comprehensive set of education initiatives, The
Educational Excellence Act of 1989. The Act includes
proposals for merit and magnet schools, alternative
certification of teachers, excellence awards for teachers,
emergency grants to help urban schools to fight drugs,
increased funding for endowments at Historically Black
Colleges, and a National Science Scholars program.
National Drug Control strategy: In his first Address to the
Nation, the President unveiled a comprehensive, coordinated
strategy for fighting illegal drug use. The President has
five priority areas: the criminal justice system; drug
treatment; education, community action, and the workplace;
international initiatives; and interdiction efforts.
National Transportation Policy: Under the direction of the
President, the Department of Transportation is developing a
National Transportation Policy to guide the long-term
allocation of public and private resources so that
transportation systems -- highway, aviation, transit, rail
and maritime -- enhance national economic growth and global
competitiveness, national security and the environment and
personal mobility. The Department of Transportation has
held nearly 100 sessions with the public and interested
9
groups to solicit recommendations and generate new ideas for
the Policy.
Combatting Violent Crime: President Bush transmitted to
Congress The Comprehensive violent Crime Control Act of 1989
proposing measures to augment enforcement and prosecution,
strengthen current law, restrict certain semi-automatic
weapons, and expand prison capacity.
Clean Air Act revisions: On July 21, President Bush
transmitted to the Congress the first proposed revisions to
the Clean Air Act since 1977. His legislation is designed
to harness the power of the marketplace to drastically
reduce three major threats to the nation's environment: acid
rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions.
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 by January 1,
1993 marking the first time since 1954 that energy markets
will be completely deregulated.
Clean water and coastlines: On March 10, the Department of
Justice and the EPA implemented a medical waste tracking
program to track medical wastes to ensure proper disposal
10
and prevent ocean pollution -- 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.
Hazardous waste: The President announced that he will seek
new legislation to ban all exports of hazardous waste unless
an agreement exists with the receiving country to provide
for its safe handling.
Global Climate Issues: The U.S. is chairing one of the
three working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC). From this leadership position, the
U.S. has called for initial discussions concerning a
convention on global climate change.
Also, the President proposed a 21% increase in global
environmental research for FY 1990. The $628 million, total
budget, the largest amount spent by any nation on global
environmental research, will continue the United States'
international leadership in this field.
Ozone depletion: In order to prevent further damage to the
earth's protective ozone layer, the President has called for
a total worldwide phaseout of CFCs by the year 2000,
provided safe substitutes are available.
11
Wetlands: The President is committed to "no net loss" of
wetlands and is directing his executive branch agencies,
through an interagency task force, to make recommendations
to achieve that goal. He has also proposed a major increase
in funding to expand and improve parks, wildlife refuges,
forests, and recreational land.
Space: The President has committed the nation to "a
sustained program of manned exploration of the solar system"
and "the permanent settlement of space." To this end, he
has identified as critical elements of the U.S. space
program: the permanently manned Space Station Freedom,
manned missions to the Moon and to Mars, and the Mission to
Planet Earth aimed at understanding Earth's fragile
environment. The President established the National Space
Council under the leadership of Vice President Quayle to
coordinate U.S. space activities.
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
Affordable Housing: The President unveiled HOPE, a
comprehensive agenda of Homeownership and Opportunity for
People Everywhere. Major elements include provisions to
help first-time home buyers, low-income housing residents,
and the homeless, and to create up to fifty enterprise zones
over the next four years. The President signed legislation
12
that substantially increases funding under the McKinney
Homeless Assistance Act. Secretary Kemp has been charged
with finding new ways to put more FHA foreclosures into the
hands of non-profit groups that serve the homeless.
The Homeless: The President requested full funding of the
McKinney Homeless Assistance Act in FY 1990 and proposed an
additional $50 million to encourage public-private
partnerships to reduce homelessness. The President recently
signed legislation that substantially increases funding for
the McKinney Act.
Child Care: The President transmitted to Congress a child
care proposal, 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 age four, for low
income working families. This legislation will also make
the existing Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit refundable,
and does not discriminate against religious or family-based
child care or a parent who chooses not to work outside the
home.
Head Start: The President also challenged Congress to
increase Head Start in FY 1990 to enable more four-year-olds
to participate in the program. As a result, Congress
13
appropriated $170 million which will provide for that
participation of 37,500 more four-year-olds.
The President has promoted,
Experimental AIDS Drugs: Through the promotion of wider
availability of experimental and therapeutic drugs such as
to battle
AZT, the President has demonstrated his commitment to the
eradication of the HIV virus and AIDS.
Adoption: In September, the President sent two legislative
proposals to Congress designed to encourage adoption of
special needs children, through tax incentives and expense
reimbursements for adoptive parents. In addition, the
President has directed all Federal agencies to develop plans
for supporting and promoting adoption of special needs
children.
National Service: The President is spearheading a movement
to call on all individuals and institutions in America to
engage in community service. He announced the formation of
a foundation known as "The Points of Light Initiative" to:
encourage volunteensm; identify and publicize
cause all Americans to claim social problems as their own;
successful community services initiatives)
identify, enlarge and multiply successful community service
initiatives; and discover encourage, and develop new
community leaders.
Waruna with congress
Civil Rights: The President has signed legislation
reauthorizing the Commission on Civil Rights through FY
1991. The Administration has endorsed the Hate Crimes Bill,
which provides for the collection of data about crimes
motivated by race, religion, or ethnicity. The Civil Rights
Division of the Department of Justice has vigorously pursued
the enforcement of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988
which became effective in March.
Disabled Americans: The President is committed to
legislation that would extend civil rights protections to
disabled Americans. This legislation, called the Americans
with Disabilities Act, would represent the most significant
expansion of federal civil rights laws in the past two
decades. With the support of the Administration, a version
of the Act passed the Senate on September 7, and has been
under consideration in the House since then.
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.
Medicaid: To address the all-too-high infant mortality rate,
the Administration forwarded to Congress legislation to
15
improve federal Medicaid assistance to pregnant women,
infants, and children. Congress raised the mandatory
Medicaid eligibility to 133% of the poverty level consistent
with what President Bush suggested.
Campaign Finance Reform: The President introduced
comprehensive campaign finance legislation designed to
lessen the power of special economic interests and restore
real competition to American Congressional elections.
Ethics: Numerous ethics reforms proposed in President Bush's
ethics legislation were enacted by Congress in the
"Government Ethics Reform Act of 1989" shortly before it
adjourned. Key reforms include the extension of post-
employment "revolving door" restrictions to the Legislative
for
refarm of rules on giFts and travels Y, dimitationson ontside earned income
Branch, a ban on receipt of honoraria by all Federal
in the Service where Hanorana was reduced
had
travelecom,
employees, (except Senators and employees of the Senate), and
tax deferral for Federal employees required to sell assets
to avoid conflicts of interest. President Bush also issued
an ethics Executive Order in April setting forth strict
principles for the conduct of Executive Branch employees.
(except in the Senate which insted
enacted a reduced wilingon honoria).
Welfare Reform: The Administration issued final rules on
October 13 to implement the Job Opportunities and Basic
Skills Training programs of the Family Support Act of 1988,
as the next step in welfare reform. The Administration is
16
proposing to spend $3.6 billion over the next five years to
implement the JOBS program. The Act will help reduce the
number of individuals who need welfare.
###
Grant
Draft Four
December 4, 1989
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
ACCOMPLISHMENTS 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 exceptionally good with extraordinary job growth. The
policies of the Bush Administration are designed to preserve this
strong record.
Record peacetime expansion: The current expansion reached 84
months in November. This is the second longest economic
expansion in U.S. history and the longest peacetime
expansion.
Job creation: Over 20 million new jobs have been created
during this expansion, and this year the unemployment rate
has reached levels not seen in over 15 years. The benefits
of robust economic growth have been shared by all
demographic groups as indicated by historically low
unemployment rates for women and minorities. During this
decade, America has created more new jobs than Japan and the
nations of Western Europe combined. A higher percentage of
2
American adults is at work than at any other time in our
history.
Record income: Real per capita disposable personal income --
personal income after taxes and inflation -- has risen 20
percent during this expansion.
Higher national saving and investment: Partly due to the
discipline of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings process, the Federal
deficit has declined from 6.3 percent of GNP in fiscal year
1983 to 3.0 percent in FY 1989. The personal saving rate
averaged 5.4 percent over the first three quarters of 1989,
well above its recent low of 3.2 percent in 1987.
0
New Business Incorporations: During the first nine months
of 1989, 520,108 new corporations were formed. Ninety-eight
percent of these new corporations are small businesses. At
the same time, business failures numbered just 37,380 -- a
decline of 15.9 percent from the first nine months of 1988.
Improved International Trade Position: The international
trade position of the United States has improved
substantially. U.S. exports are at an all-time high and the
trade deficit (as measured by exports minus imports) has
been cut in half from its level in 1987.
3
Inflation under control: Consumer price inflation has
remained under 5 percent in each of the seven years from
1982 to 1988, and the recent slowing in economic growth to a
sustainable rate will lessen price pressures in the near
future. In the last twelve months, the CPI has increased
only 4.5 percent and, in the last three months, the index
has risen at an annual rate of only 2.6 percent.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Implementing fiscal restraint: Throughout the year, the
Administration negotiated with Congress to pass a fiscally
responsible budget agreement that met the requirements of
the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law. As a result of the
negotiations, a series of appropriations bills and a budget
reconciliation bill were finally enacted which meet the
deficit reduction targets with no new taxes.
Addressing the international debt problem: The
Administration has taken the lead in encouraging commercial
banks to reduce the debt and debt service burdens of
developing countries. Recently, three countries -- Mexico,
the Philippines, and Costa Rica -- have reached final
agreements or agreements in principle with commercial banks
under the Administration's debt plan. The differences in
these agreements appropriately reflect differing
4
circumstances in the three countries and illustrate the
flexibility of the Administration's approach.
Minimum wage agreement: The Administration and
Congressional leaders reached agreement on a plan, now
signed into law, to raise the minimum wage to $4.25 per hour
and to permit businesses to pay a training wage to young,
entry-level workers. The higher minimum wage will help the
working poor while preserving jobs and the training wage
will allow businesses to hire inexperienced workers and give
them the start they need in a working career.
Disaster assistance: The Administration and Congress have
worked together to provide necessary supplemental funding to
assist victims of Hurricane Hugo and the California
earthquake. This funding is helping to provide those who
lost their homes with temporary shelter, is assisting
uninsured, needy families and business owners rebuild their
homes and business establishments, and is helping
governments in the affected areas rebuild highways and other
public facilities. Federal funding to rebuild
transportation systems will exceed $1 billion.
Savings and Loan reform: The President signed the Financial
Institution Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 on
August 9. This legislation came to grips with the serious
5
fiscal problems facing our savings and loan industry, and
has safeguarded and stabilized America's financial system.
The Act assures that the long developing problems in our
savings industry will never happen again. It significantly
reforms the regulation of the thrift industry and separates
the chartering of the institutions from the insurance of
deposits. It establishes strict new guidelines to assure
the solvency of thrift institutions in the future, including
new capital requirements, and sets stiff penalties for
wrongdoing by the officers of insured institutions.
Further, the act provides $50 billion to finance the
restructuring of insolvent institutions.
International Trade: The Administration is forcefully
promoting the opening of world markets through bilateral
negotiations and the Uruguay Round of multilateral
negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade. It successfully broke a stalemate in the Uruguay
Round's mid-term review and put in place a framework, agreed
to by the 96 member nations, to correct and prevent trade
distortions in agriculture. It is engaged in bilateral
trade talks with Japan to identify and eliminate structural
factors that may impede efficient patterns of world trade.
The approaches being pursued in these discussions will
provide long-term benefits for both countries. The
Administration has also created a high level interagency
6
group to assure that U.S. trade and investment interests are
addressed as the European Community works to create a single
market in 1992. To further meet the global economic
challenges of the 1990's, the President named Vice President
Quayle chairman of a newly established Council on
Competitiveness. Under the leadership of the Vice
President, the council has developed a strategy for reform
of the existing maze of product liability laws in order to
maintain American competitiveness.
Steel imports: The President initiated and the
Administration successfully implemented a two-and-a-half
year Steel Trade Liberalization Program. The program is
designed to phase out, in a responsible and orderly manner,
the Voluntary Restraint Arrangements (VRAs) that currently
limit steel imports into the U.S. and to negotiate an
international consensus to address trade-distorting
practices.
Agricultural initiatives: The Administration has placed its
comprehensive agricultural proposals before the Uruguay
Round of multilateral trade negotiations. These proposals
would harmonize domestic agricultural programs of producing
countries and reduce distortions to patterns of
international production and trade. In addition, the
7
Administration has formed a task force to develop a farm
bill for 1990.
National Energy Strategy: The President directed the
Secretary of Energy to develop a comprehensive national
energy strategy for the nation. The strategy will layout
short, mid and long-term options to help the nation meet our
energy security and environmental responsibilities and, at
the same time, ensure that markets will provide a sensible
mix of energy sources to protect America's economic
competitiveness. In the meantime, the Administration has
moved to enhance energy security and conserve our natural
resources by accelerating the filling of the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve to 750 million barrels, increasing
automobile fuel efficiency standards, and requiring new
appliances built after 1992 to use 25 percent less energy
than today's models.
Women and Minority Business Ownership: The President has
called for the promotion of women's business ownership
through a series of procurement and credit conferences
conducted by the Small Business Administration. The SBA has
also implemented a new small loan program beneficial to
women entrepreneurs. To advise the Administration on ways
to promote the growth of minority business ownership, the
President announced the formation of the Minority Business
8
Development Commission. The S.B.A. has also implemented new
regulations to strengthen the Minority Small Business and
Capital Ownership Development program and further promote
minority business development.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
In his Inaugural Address, the President said, "The day of
the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old
ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient lifeless tree."
Indeed, this year has seen dramatic and promising changes. From
the Third World to the Communist World, the resurgence of the
ideals of political and economic freedom has shaken Marxist and
other authoritarian regimes to their foundations. The President
is determined to continue moving on a broad front to seize this
unique opportunity to strengthen world peace and the cause of
freedom.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
A Resurgence of Democracy: Maintaining America's leadership
role in the world, the President developed a strategy to
encourage and help sustain the historic processes taking
place, especially in Eastern Europe. Early in his
Administration, the President expressed his hope for the
success of perestroika in the Soviet Union. In April, he
9
spoke in Hamtramck, Michigan, calling for self-determination
in Eastern Europe and an end to the division of the
continent. In May, President Bush called for the Berlin
Wall to come down, and he set forth his vision of a Europe
"whole and free" during his visit to Mainz, Germany. In the
Western Hemisphere, the President strongly supported the
extension of democracy especially in Nicaragua and Panama
where the United States has worked with the O.A.S. to
encourage free and fair elections -- and to condemn efforts
to thwart the express will of the people. In October, the
President underscored the U.S. commitment to hemispheric
democracy by attending the 100th anniversary celebration of
Costa Rican democracy.
Western Europe: The President proposed new mechanisms for
U.S. consultation and cooperation with the EC Commission and
member states as the European Community works toward
creating a single market in 1992. Seeing the resurgence of
Western Europe as a triumph of democratic values and
principles, the President has welcomed its success,
confident that a mature U.S.-E.C. partnership will serve our
mutual interests and serve as a beacon for the East.
NATO Summit: At the successful NATO Summit in May, the
President's vision of Europe as well as agreement on a new
conventional arms reduction initiative helped build Alliance
10
unity and confidence and define the Alliance's future
agenda.
Eastern Europe: As Poland and Hungary have taken
unprecedented steps toward pluralism, democracy, and market
economic policies, the United States has encouraged each
step and signaled its strong support. The President has also
encouraged more recent movement towards change in East
Germany, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia. The President's
strong support for political pluralism and economic reform
in Hungary and Poland was highlighted by his visits to those
nations, and by the international leadership he exercised in
mobilizing major international backing for these reforms.
The President offered a major U.S. package of economic
assistance and trade and investment incentives to assist in
the economic restructuring of Poland and Hungary. All
elements of the President's package were adopted by Congress
and become the framework for the "Support for East European
Democracy Act. "
Poland: Following up on the program he announced on April 17
in Hamtramck, Michigan, the President called upon Congress
to declare Poland a beneficiary country under the U.S.
Generalized System of Preferences and to authorize the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation to operate in
Poland. The U.S. proposed a business and economic agreement
11
that will promote trade, investment and other contacts
between the private sectors of both countries. The
President also asked Congress to approve a $200 million
grant for stabilization purposes, which would be the U.S.
contribution to the $1 billion in Western assistance the
Poles have requested. In November, he sent a Presidential
Mission of experts to Warsaw, headed by Agriculture
Secretary Yeutter, to discuss with the Polish Government its
economic plans and evaluate its needs. The mission also
included Secretaries Dole and Mosbacher, and Michael Boskin,
Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, along with
business and labor leaders. It will make recommendations to
the President based on their findings and deliberations with
experts from the twenty-four nation "Group for Economic
Assistance to Poland and Hungary" as to the most effective
use of the $1 billion stabilization fund. The President has
also asked Congress to provide a $100 million Enterprise
Fund to help capitalize and invigorate the Polish private
sector and has encouraged the World Bank to move ahead with
new loans to help Polish agriculture and industry. The
Administration signed a cultural agreement with Poland which
will result in the opening of a U.S. cultural center in
Warsaw.
Hungary: The President also asked Congress to authorize a
$25 million Enterprise Fund as a source of new capital to
12
invigorate the Hungarian private sector. The President
informed Congress that Hungary is now receiving Most-
Favored-Nation tariff treatment for the maximum period
allowable under the law. The President also declared
Hungary a beneficiary country under our Generalized System
of Preferences which will allow duty free entry of Hungarian
products into the U.S. market. He also called for
legislation to allow OPIC to operate in Hungary, and for
greater scientific, technical, educational, and cultural
exchanges between the U.S. and Hungary. The U.S. will
negotiate a comprehensive business and economic agreement
with Hungary to improve the business environment there while
the President will seek to establish an International
Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe in
Budapest. Finally, he announced that the Peace Corps would
operate in Hungary to enhance English language training --
the first time in a European country.
The Economic Summit in Paris: Immediately after the
President's historic visit to Poland and Hungary, he
proposed to the other world leaders gathered at the Paris
Economic Summit that the industrial democracies join
together to assist economic and political reform in Hungary
and Poland. This led to creation of the "Group for Economic
Assistance to Poland and Hungary." The industrial
democracies also demonstrated their unity, by dealing with a
13
variety of issues on the international economic agenda, as
well as the problem of drugs and the environment.
"Beyond Containment": Seeing an historic process of change
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 goal is
integrating the Soviet Union into the world community as a
constructive partner. Positive 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 U.S.-Soviet dialogue on conflicts in regions of the
Third World has resumed intensively, and discussions
have begun on a new range of global problems that
require global cooperation, such as terrorism, the
environment, and narcotics.
-- In arms control, the President has accelerated the pace
of negotiations, with a new American initiative on
reducing conventional forces in Europe, endorsed by the
NATO Summit. At the Wyoming Ministerial, the U.S. and
U.S.S.R. resolved major disagreements about the
verification protocols to the Threshold Test Ban and
Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaties, opening the way
to completion of the treaties in 1990. The President
14
also proposed an "Open Skies" initiative to improve the
openness of military activities in NATO and Warsaw pact
countries; it will be the subject of a Canadian-
sponsored international conference early in 1990.
Finally, in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly,
the President proposed a new initiative to further a
ban on chemical weapons, challenging the Soviets to
early destruction of the majority of the stocks of
these weapons even while a multilateral treaty is being
negotiated.
China: On his visit to China in February, the President
emphasized the long-term strategic importance of the U.S.- -
China relationship and his support for the process of
reform. In response to the subsequent 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
U.S. and Chinese military leaders, and review of other
aspects of U.S.-PRC bilateral relations. The President also
students or other Chinese
acted swiftly to ensure that no Chinese /nationals in the
forced to return to China
U.S. would be deported against their will, action that has
since been extended and broadened. The President's policy
makes clear that repression cannot be condoned. But it also
seeks to preserve the basic elements of a strategically
important relationship that has, itself, played a major part
15
in China's recent policy of reform and openness -- and can
do so again in the future.
Asian initiatives:
-- Japan: The U.S. relationship with Japan has grown
stronger under the Bush Administration. In security
matters, Japan's contribution to the maintenance of
U.S. forces stationed there increased by 12 percent, to
$2.8 billion per year, making it the most generous host
nation support program enjoyed by the U.S. anywhere in
the world. A major project also moved forward to co-
develop an advanced fighter, based on the F-16,
increasing the security of both Japan and the U.S. $2.5
billion in contracts for American companies and the
first significant technology flow-back from Japan. As
part of an emerging global partnership with the U.S.,
Japan will provide significant financial contributions
to Poland in development assistance. On trade matters,
the Structural Impediments Initiative talks have begun
to clarify the long term sources of U.S. -Japan trade
friction. In addition, the Administration began talks
aimed at opening markets for U.S. satellites, super-
computers, and forest products.
-- Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference: The
Administration succeeded in launching -- through joint
leadership with Japan, Korea, Australia and the ASEAN
16
states -- the first conference on Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation in Canberra, Australia, in November. This
was the first region-wide ministerial meeting to
address collective responses to the great economic
changes underway in the world. The APEC group will
seek to present a united position in the Uruguay Round
of GATT negotiations, establish working groups to study
infrastructural needs of great importance to U.S.
service industries in the region, and improve data
sharing. Although modest at the outset -- by design --
these accomplishments are a solid beginning to
fundamental trade liberalization in Asia and the
Pacific.
--
Cambodia: In September 1989, the U.S. insistence on
the right of self-determination for the Cambodian
people occupied by Vietnamese forces since 1978, was
rewarded by the withdrawal of Vietnamese main-force
military units. The United States will continue to
press for a comprehensive solution based on the
Cambodian people's right to choose its own government
in free and fair elections. Internationally-supervised
elections, under an interim government led by Prince
Sihanouk, hold the best prospect for denying dominance
to either the murderous Khmer Rouge or the Hun Sen
regime that was installed by the Vietnamese army.
17
Vice President Quayle, in two separate trips to the Pacific
rim countries and Asian nations, has played a key role in
the formulation of policy. In his spring trip to Australia,
Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, he worked to coordinate
U.S. policy on Cambodia with that of our allies after the
pullout of Vietnamese forces, and promoted U.S. trade
interests. This fall, in a trip to South Korea, Japan, the
Philippines, and Malaysia, the Vice President began delicate
base negotiations with the Philippines government. He also
restated U.S. commitment to Korea; signed an agreement on
space cooperation with Japan; and advanced U.S. Cambodian
policy in the region.
Latin America: The President has established a close,
working relationship with Latin American neighbors to foster
a new partnership on hemisphere problems like democracy,
debt, and drugs. Relations with Mexico are closer than at
any time in recent memory. In October, the President
attended a meeting of hemispheric leaders in San Jose, Costa
Rica, where he stressed the importance of democracy to the
Hemisphere and confirmed Nicaragua's isolation.
Panama: The U.S. has also worked with the Organization
of American States to develop a hemispheric consensus
that Manuel Noriega should leave power and permit
restoration of democratic rule. On November 30, the
President denied Panamanian flag vessels access to U.S.
18
ports after January 31, 1990. This measure will
deprive Noreiga's illegal regime of tens of millions of
dollars in revenue.
--
El Salvador: The President remains committed to
supporting the democratically elected government of El
Salvador. In Malta, the President insisted that the
Soviets take more effective action to stop Nicaragua
and Cuba from sending arms to the Marxist FMLN
guerrillas. The United States regards the preservation
of fundamental human rights as an integral part of its
effort to help build democratic institutions in El
Salvador and will work with the government to bring
human rights violators to justice.
In early February, Vice President Quayle traveled
to El Salvador to support free and fair elections and
to deliver a warning to the Salvadoran military over
human rights violations. In late June, the Vice
President again visited El Salvador, as well as Costa
Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras, advancing the
Administration's policy on Panama and Nicaragua. He
succeeded in having Costa Rican President Oscar Arias
join in pressuring the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua
to hold fair elections there.
19
Bipartisan Accord on Central America: On March 24, the
President and Congress agreed on a bipartisan plan 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
that Soviet and Cuban 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 Resistance at current
levels through the elections in Nicaragua scheduled for
February, 1990.
--
Democracy: The Marxist Sandinistas are being put to the
test to permit a real democratic electoral contest for
political power, fulfilling the promises of democratic
pluralism that they have made and broken so often
before. Aid to the Nicaraguan opposition to help bring
about a free and fair election was approved with
bipartisan Congressional support. On November 14, a
Presidential Commission on Election Monitoring in
Nicaragua was formed, including Senators and
Representatives from both sides of the aisle.
Middle East: The Administration is promoting progress
toward peace in the Middle East by supporting the Government
20
of Israel's May 14 initiative calling for Palestinian
elections in the occupied territories. A five point
framework advanced by the United States is central to these
efforts. These elections can be a step toward a
comprehensive peace settlement that assures Israel's
security and the legitimate political rights of the
Palestinians. The Administration also is actively
supporting the efforts of the Arab League and others to end
the internecine warfare and to bring peace in Lebanon.
African Initiatives: The Administration has worked with
Congress to achieve a bipartisan policy supporting the goal
of dismantling apartheid and establishing a non-racial
democratic society in South AFrica. It has also played a
significant role in supporting the free and fair elections
in Namibia, which have opened the door to independence and
democracy in that country.
A strong Defense: Congress adopted an integrated package
proposed by the President on strategic modernization that
modernizes the entire strategic triad. Although Congress
made some reductions in amounts requested, its actions
generally support the President's objectives.
-- The President proposed to Congress a two-missile plan
to maintain a strong, modernized strategic deterrent.
The bipartisan consensus to deploy the rail-mobile
21
Peacekeeper and the road-mobile Small ICBM will also
give the U.S. momentum in strategic arms control
negotiations.
--
The modernization plan capitalizes on the revolutionary
potential of the B-2, and modernizes the third leg of
the triad, our strategic submarine force. These
programs are all essential to our arms control
positions.
--
The President requested funding for the Strategic
Defense Initiative to support an informed development
and deployment decision within the next four years.
--
The President also directed a Defense Management Review
to develop a plan to implement fully the Packard
Commission's blueprint to strengthen and streamline the
defense acquisition system and to manage defense
resources more effectively. The Review has been
completed and its recommendations now being implemented
promise to save billions of dollars annually.
Air Transportation Security: The Administration has taken
several measures to enhance security and efficiency in the
air transportation system. These efforts include:
--
New requirements for installation of explosive
detection devices in high-risk airports.
--
Intense international negotiations to enhance security
abroad.
22
--
Establishment of the President's Commission on Aviation
Security and Terrorism.
-- A proposed 17% increase in the budget for the Federal
Aviation Administration.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
Record economic growth has provided Americans with the
opportunity to invest in a brighter future. But, because the
Nation's available resources are limited, the President's
programs are designed to focus our efforts on those initiatives
most likely to continue to create growth in the years ahead.
EDUCATION
The President pledged to provide national leadership in
education reform. His actions to improve education are guided by
four principles: encouraging excellence; targeting need;
promoting flexibility and choice; and ensuring accountability.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
O
President Bush convened "The President's Education Summit
with Governors" on September 27 and 28 in Charlottesville,
Virginia. This event marked only the third time in our
Nation's history that a President has called on the
Governors to address a single issue of national importance.
23
The Summit brought together the President, his Cabinet and
the Governors in working groups and plenary sessions to
focus on issues of choice and restructuring, teaching, the
learning environment, governance, a competitive workforce
and life-long learning, and postsecondary education.
--
The President and the Governors issued a Joint
Statement -- a "Jeffersonian compact" -- committing to
four objectives for education reform in America:
establish national education goals; increase
flexibility in the use of Federal funds; implement
state-by-state restructuring of the education system in
exchange for enhanced accountability for results; and
measure progress. A commitment was made to develop
national goals and initiatives increase flexibility and
accountability by early 1990.
On June 5, the President announced his intention to form the
President's Education Policy Advisory Committee. Chaired by
Paul O'Neill, Chief Executive Officer of Alcoa, the
committee's membership includes representatives from
education, business, labor and the media. The committee,
which met for the first time in November, will advise the
President directly on issues related to education policy.
24
On April 5, the President submitted to Congress a
comprehensive set of education initiatives, The Educational
Excellence Act of 1989. The Act proposes:
-- The Presidential Merit Schools program -- to reward
schools that are making 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.
-- President's Awards for Excellence in Education -- to
recognize 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.
25
:
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.
On April 24, the President issued a new Executive Order on
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Highlights of the order include:
-- Establishing the President's Board of Advisors on
Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the
Department of Education.
-- Directing Federal agencies to increase opportunities
for HBCU involvement in Federal programs and directing
the Secretary of Education to develop an Annual Federal
Plan for Assistance.
-- Calling for the White House Office of National Service,
along with other Federal offices to work to encourage
private sector support of HBCUs.
National American Initiative: The Departments of Education
and Interior have committed to a major initiative to ensure
Native American students receive a quality education.
Hispanic Initiative: The President has directed the
Secretary of Education to form a Task Force on Hispanic
26
Education to assess how well federal education programs
serve Hispanics and recommend ways to enhance the federal
role.
O
Job training: The Administration has sent to Congress a
proposal to improve the Job Training Partnership Act by
targeting its resources on the poor and at risk youth and
adults who most need job training to get jobs and become
economically self sufficient.
27
FIGHTING DRUG ABUSE
A new assault in the war on drugs began with the
announcement of the President's National Drug Control Strategy.
The President set major new priorities in five principal areas:
the criminal justice system; drug treatment; education, community
action, and the workplace; international initiatives; and
interdiction efforts. Throughout, the strategy emphasizes the
principle of user accountability.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
In his first televised Address to the Nation, the President
unveiled the National Drug Strategy in September, describing
a coordinated and comprehensive plan of attack under the
leadership of the Director of National Drug Control Policy,
William Bennett.
The National Drug Control Strategy recommends the largest
dollar increase in the history of the drug war -- nearly
$2.2 billion, 39 percent above the FY 1989 level. Elements
of the Strategy include:
--
Expanding the criminal justice system by providing
funds for more police, jails, prosecutors, and courts;
exploring alternatives for incarceration such as boot
28
camps to free up jail and prison space; and requiring
drug testing of prisoners, parolees, and arrestees.
--
Improving drug treatment by holding Federally-funded
treatment programs accountable for their effectiveness
through performance criteria; requiring drug testing in
treatment programs receiving Federal funds; exploring
the expanded use of "civil commitment," whereby addicts
are sent by the courts to residential treatment
facilities; and improving drug treatment services for
pregnant women.
--
Promoting education, community action, and the
workplace through emphasizing community-level
prevention of drug use; requiring schools and colleges
to implement firm drug-free policies as a condition of
receiving Federal funds; working for safe and drug-free
public housing; promoting drug-free workplace policies
in the private sector and implementing drug-free
workplace policies within the Federal government; and
by recommending testing for job applicants and
employees in safety and sensitive positions.
--
Increasing emphasis on international initiatives, such
as dismantling drug trafficking organizations,
targeting international efforts closer to production
and trafficking sources; and reducing trafficking
profits by focusing increased efforts on money
laundering. The President has engaged our foreign
29
policy in the international war against drugs. He
approved an Andean strategy involving a $2.2 billion
five-year program to help the Andean nations attack
production, processing and trafficking in drugs, called
for increased cooperation and coordination of anti-drug
programs with our allies, the Soviets and international
bodies, and raised drugs as a priority in U.S. foreign
policy.
-- Taking a fresh approach to interdiction efforts by
creating interagency and interdisciplinary teams to
analyze and target smuggling patterns, methods, and
routes; targeting key individuals and high-value
shipments; and enhancing the border interdiction
systems, operations, and activities of the U.S. Coast
Guard, Customs Service and the Department of Defense.
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,
30
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 June 15, President Bush sent to Congress The
Comprehensive Violent Crime Control Act of 1989 to combat
violent crime. The President's initiative includes:
-- 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
or drug-related crimes.
In addition, the Attorney General has advised
federal prosecutors to end plea bargaining with persons
accused of violent firearms offenses.
President Bush called on Congress to enact the
legislation 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: In July,
the Administration took action to ban permanently the
importation of those semi-automatic weapons which fail
31
to meet the criteria specified in the Gun Control Act
of 1968. The President also called for the closing of
loopholes which allow access to such guns by certain
classes of criminals, and he proposed prohibiting the
importation, and manufacture, of gun magazines of more
than 15 rounds.
:
Augmenting Enforcement: The President has directed the
Attorney General and the Treasury Secretary, working
together with state and local authorities, to launch a
comprehensive, coordinated offensive against America's
most violent criminals.
President Bush requested funding for the hiring of
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, which also
counts on the cooperation of 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,
32
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%.
Each of the above proposals for increased funding
to fight violent crime was incorporated into the
appropriations bills for drug-related activities passed
by Congress at the close of the 1st Session and signed
by the President on November 21.
Anti-Drug Treaty: The Vienna Convention on Illicit Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances was strongly endorsed by the
President and forwarded to Congress for ratification. This
is the most significant and far-reaching treaty on
international cooperation on drug trafficking, chemical
precursor control, and money laundering ever to be signed.
THE ENVIRONMENT
President Bush, a life-long environmentalist, has taken
strong action to protect the environment. He has placed
environmental protection, conservation, and wise management of
our natural resources as high priorities on our national agenda.
33
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Clean Air legislation: On June 12, the President announced
proposals that will take advantage of the power of the
marketplace to reduce emissions which cause acid rain, urban
smog and toxic air pollution. The proposals, the first
major overhaul of the Clean Air Act to be proposed by an
Administration in over a decade, call for a 10 million ton
reduction in SO2 emissions by the year 2000, a 2 million ton
reduction in NOx from projected levels, a 40 percent
reduction in emission of volatile organic compounds, and a
reduction of 75 to 90 percent in air toxic emissions. The
proposal also calls for the use of alternative fuels in one
million vehicles by 1997. Alternative fuels, while reducing
emissions that cause smog will also reduce the toxic
aromatics which come from conventional gasoline. The
President submitted a comprehensive Clean Air bill to the
Congress on July 21 embodying the proposals announced on
June 12. Earlier in the year, the statutory level
corporable average fuel economy parenthetical standard was
reinstated to 27.5 in gallons for 1990 model years cars.
Natural Gas Decontrol: On July 26, the President signed into
law the Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989, which will end all
remaining price controls on natural gas, a clean-burning,
domestically abundant fuel by, 1993.
34
Clean Coal Technologies: The President proposed $710 million
in FY 1990 for the Clean Coal Technology program.
Clean water and coastlines: On March 10, the Department of
Justice and the EPA implemented a medical waste tracking
program to track medical wastes to ensure proper disposal
and prevent ocean pollution -- the first step in a
comprehensive program to help keep our beaches clean.
Ocean dumping: To meet the President's commitment to end
ocean dumping, the EPA negotiated agreements with the states
to stop dumping of sewage sludge by the end of 1991. This
initiative also resulted in civil judicial or administrative
penalty actions against 61 cities in 1989.
Cleaning up hazardous wastes: On March 10, The President
announced he will be seeking new legislation to amend the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in order to give the
United States Government authority to ban all exports of
hazardous waste unless an agreement exists with the
receiving country providing for the safe handling and
management of those wastes.
Alaskan oil spill: The President sent a Cabinet-level team
to assess the Alaskan oil spill, and a joint federal-state
resource recovery team was convened. Vice President Quayle
35
twice visited the cleanup site and met with local officials
and affected businessmen. The National Transportation
Safety Board is investigating the accident. Exxon has
accepted the responsibility of paying for the cleanup, and
for employing local civilian personnel necessary to control
further damage.
The Departments of Transportation and Interior, as well
as the EPA, are 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 Administration has also
called for Exxon to pay the full cost of environmental
damages resulting from the spill.
The President also proposed, and the Paris Summit
leaders accepted, a call for increased international efforts
on oil spill prevention and clean-up.
oil Spill Legislation: On May 11, the Administration
transmitted to Congress comprehensive oil pollution
liability and compensation legislation that broadens and
strengthens our existing patchwork of laws. The bill
provides swift and assured compensation for cleanup costs
and damages through a liability system based on strict
financial responsibility requirements for shipowners backed
up by an oil-industry financed fund. The Interior
Department also initiated a $6 million, 3-year project with
36
the American Petroleum Institute to conduct research and
development on all spill cleanup technology.
Offshore oil Drilling: The President postponed lease sales
and offshore oil and gas development in environmentally
sensitive areas off the coasts of California and Florida.
The President set up a task force to examine the issues and
report back to him in January of 1990.
Department of Energy Facilities Cleanup: The Administration
has substantially increased spending for waste cleanup at
Department of Energy facilities.
On August 31, the Energy Department published its first
cleanup plan which identifies site-by-site Departmental
environmental restoration and waste management initiatives.
Concurrently, the Secretary published a five year
Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Research and
Development Plan which will exclusively focus its attention
on addressing the contamination problems the Energy
Department faces at its facilities. The Research and
Development Plan will be the major effort to reduce outyear
costs of cleanup of DOE facilities and should have major
implications for private technology transfer.
37
Superfund: The President's budget proposed $175 billion to
pursue an aggressive cleanup schedule of toxic waste sites;
the Administration opposed Congressional efforts to cut the
Superfund budget to $1.5 billion. On June 14, EPA
Administrator Reilly, following the President's direction,
concluded a Management Review of the Superfund Program. To
implement reforms, E.P.A. is adding five hundred people to
take aggressive enforcement action and ensure that sites are
cleaned up.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve: In August, the Department of
Energy initiated a study of ways to increase strategic
petroleum stock to protect the country in the event of an
oil disruption.
Global Climate Issues: Through its chairmanship of the
Response Strategies Working Group of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the U.S. has called for
initial discussions leading toward a framework convention on
global climate change. Also, the President increased global
environmental research for FY 1990 by 21 percent, to over
$628 million. The President endorsed NASA's Mission to
Planet Earth as a key element in this research effort to
ensure that critical global data sets are established.
38
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: The President called for a
worldwide phaseout of ozone-depleting CFCs and halons by the
year 2000 if safe substitutes are available. In addition,
the U.S. has instituted a unilateral
on CFC
production to further discourage CFC emissions. The
President's Clean Air initiative will also play a
significant role in controlling greenhouse gas emissions.
Wetlands, National Parks, and Reforestation: The President
is also committed to a national goal of "no net loss" of
wetlands and an interagency task force has been convened to
develop recommendations to achieve that goal. He included
$206 million in new money in the FY 1990 budget to expand
and improve America's parks and wildlife refuges, preserving
them for generations to come. Congress accepted this
proposal. Finally, the President supports increased lending
by the development banks for reforestation programs and the
implementation of the Tropical Forest Action Plan. He also
endorsed the call by the Paris Economic Summit for an end to
world deforestation. The Department of Agriculture has
initiated a number of reforestation programs both
domestically and abroad and the President has focused
national attention on the importance of trees in his
speeches and appearances around the country.
39
Asbestos Ban: On July 7, EPA announced an almost total
phase-out of nearly all uses of asbestos by 1997. The ban
will prohibit importation, manufacture, and processing of
asbestos, a carcinogen linked to lung cancer and
mesothelioma (lung and chest cancer).
Council on Environmental Quality: The President has begun
revitalizing his Council on Environmental Quality in the
Executive Office of the President. The Administration
proposed doubling CEQ's budget in order for it to adequately
serve its environmental advisory function within the White
House.
Ban on African Elephant Ivory: On June 5, the
Administration announced ban on imports of African elephant
ivory into the United States, making importation from any
country illegal. The ban covers both commercial and non-
commercial shipments. Since announcement of the ban, world
trade in ivory has fallen sharply.
Driftnet Fishing Agreements: The Administration successfully
persuaded Japan, Taiwan, and Korea to enter into driftnet
fishing agreements to monitor driftnet practices and enforce
laws prohibiting the taking of U.S. origin salmon.
40
Improved Forecasting: The Commerce Department announced that
beginning in Fiscal Year 1990, the National Weather Service
will modernize and restructure its operations to provide
improved forecasting and weather warning systems. The new
system will include advanced weather radar, observation
automation, and a new communications system.
Food Safety: In order to improve the federal government's
ability to protect American consumers and the environment
from potential dangers posed by the use of pesticides,
President Bush proposed a comprehensive program to enhance
food safety. The President's plan calls for major revisions
to two key laws to streamline EPA's ability to remove
potentially hazardous pesticides from the market. The
President's proposal also strengthens enforcement,
establishes scientifically sound threshold tolerance levels
for pesticides in or on food, and provides for national
uniformity in tolerance levels following a review of the
latest scientific evidence,
EXPLORING SPACE
The President has committed this nation to an aggressive
program to explore and use space in support of our national well
being. U.S. leadership in space continues to be a fundamental
objective guiding U.S. space activities.
41
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
During the past year, the U.S. space program has returned an
improved Space Shuttle Fleet to flight operations and
successfully completed five demanding missions. In the
space science area, a major revival of the planetary
exploration program has included launches of unmanned
missions to Venus and Jupiter in May and October, and the
August encounter of the planet Neptune by the Voyager 2
spacecraft.
On April 20, the President demonstrated the importance he
attaches to the U.S. space program by signing an Executive
Order establishing the National Space council. President
Bush named Vice President Quayle Chairman of the Council
which is charged with bringing "coherence, continuity, and
commitment to our efforts to explore, study, and develop
space. "
On July 20, the president announced a three-pronged program
for the manned exploration of outer space. In the 1990's
the U.S. will construct the permanently manned orbiting
space station, Freedom; for the future a return to the Moon,
this time to stay; and then travel to the planet Mars. The
National Space Council is studying resource requirements and
42
the feasibility of international cooperation in the
President's human exploration initiative.
On November 2, the President approved a new national space
policy updating and reaffirming U.S. goals and activities in
space. The policy was set forth in the National Space
Policy Directive #1, a new Presidential directive system
which gives space a unique policy status in the Bush
Administration. Areas affected include space exploration,
remote sensing, space transportation, space debris,
commercial space activities, and Space Station Freedom.
43
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The President is committed to bringing basic shelter and
affordable housing within reach of millions of Americans. His
HOPE initiative addresses the full range of housing concerns:
shelter for the homeless, affordable housing for low-income
families, open access to expanded job opportunities, and help for
first-time home buyers.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
O
On November 10, the President unveiled HOPE, a comprehensive
agenda of Homeownership and Opportunity for People
Everywhere. Major elements include:
-- First-time home buyers: The President will ask Congress
to enact legislation allowing first-time buyers to
draw, without penalty, on IRA savings as a downpayment
for their first home.
-- Low-income housing: The President called on Congress to
renew the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit as part of a
package that also includes a reduction in the capital
gains tax. He has also called on Congress to create up
to 50 Enterprise Zones over the next four years, using
labor and capital-based incentives to create jobs and
44
entrepreneurial activity in our most distressed
communities. In the hardest-hit urban areas, he has
called for a complete elimination of the capital gains
tax on certain investments in enterprise zones.
President Bush also supports housing vouchers that
empower low-income families to choose where they want
to live; and resident ownership and resident management
of low income housing.
-- FHA reforms: The Administration has announced major
reforms to ensure that FHA is true to its primary
mission of making housing affordable for low and
moderate income families. The President has asked HUD
Secretary Jack Kemp to convene a Blue Ribbon Commission
to identify barriers to affordable housing, and to make
recommendations on how these barriers can be removed.
The President charged Secretary Kemp with finding new
ways to move FHA foreclosures into the hands of non-
profit groups to help reduce homelessness to fight
inner city poverty.
-- Homelessness: The President requested full funding of
the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act; and, on November
9, signed a bill that substantially increased funding
for housing programs under the Act. As part of the
HOPE initiative, the President will request $236
million for an initiative to reduce homelessness among
45
the chronically mentally ill and recovering substance
abusers through public-private partnerships.
CHILD CARE
The changing nature of American society heightens the need
for child care that suits both children's needs and families'
circumstances. 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.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
O
Child care: The President transmitted to 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 age four, for low income
working families.
-- Makes the existing Dependent Care Tax Credit
refundable.
:
Does not discriminate against religious- or family-
based child care, or against two-parent families in
which a parent works in the home caring for the
children.
46
The President has directed Secretary of Labor Dole to
examine the role played by liability insurance in employer
decisions on employer-provided child care.
Head Start: The President also challenged Congress to
increase funding for Head Start by $250 million in FY 1990.
This expansion will enable up to 95,000 more four-year-olds
to participate in the program -- 50,000 more than under the
proposed Congressional appropriation.
AIDS INITIATIVES
The President has made combatting AIDS a national priority.
The Administration is moving on a number of fronts to combat the
spread of AIDS.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service: The
Administration developed a toll-free information service
through which AIDS patients and their doctors can get up-to-
date information on clinical trials of AIDS therapies --
whether Federally or privately sponsored.
New Drugs Approved: The Administration approved three new
therapies for treating persons infected with HIV, which for
47
the first time gives doctors approved treatments to use with
HIV-infected people before they become sick with AIDS.
Additional Clinical Trials: The Administration initiated
clinical trials for 38 promising new therapies for HIV-
infected individuals.
Experimental Drugs: The Administration allowed an expansion
in the availability of experimental therapeutic drugs used
to treat people with AIDS and HIV infection.
Wider Use of Existing Treatment: The Administration
announced in August that AZT, the only drug currently
approved for treating persons with AIDS, has proven to help
HIV-infected persons who have not yet developed AIDS.
AIDS Prevention Guide: The Administration worked with the
National Parent Teachers Association to develop and
distribute 500,000 copies of the "AIDS Prevention Guide" for
use by parents and teachers nationwide.
ADOPTION
The President is committed to promoting adoption, especially
of special needs children.
48
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Legislation: In September, the President sent two
legislative proposals to Congress designed to encourage
adoption of special needs children:
:
The first permits adoptive parents to deduct $3000 from
taxable income for adoption-related expenses.
--
The second reimburses Federal employees who adopt up to
$2000 for expenses.
In addition, the President has directed all Federal agencies
to develop plans for supporting and promoting adoption of
special needs children (e.g., flexible leave.)
NATIONAL SERVICE
The President's vision to help overcome the disintegration
of communities and build a better America -- not through a
federal government program, but through a nationwide community
service movement -- has three facets: First, to issue a call to
all individuals and institutions to claim society's problems as
their own; second, to identify, enlarge, and multiply what is
working; and third, to discover and encourage new leaders.
49
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
In a series of speeches, President Bush called on all
Americans and all American institutions, large and small, to
make community service central to their daily life and work.
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 act as a magnet for the best
ideas and brightest programs in community service and then
serve as a catalyst to project these ideas into every corner
of the nation. The Administration will ask Congress for $25
million annually to support this initiative and will, in
turn, seek matching funds from the private sector. The
President has encouraged all communities nationwide to join
the movement by forming local "Points of Light Action
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
implement examples of successful initiatives and
provide training, technical assistance and other
50
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" like
telephone hotlines, interactive computer programs,
electronic bulletin boards and other mechanisms between
those who wish to serve and those needing service in
the inquirer's own community.
-- The President has named a Presidential Commission to
advise him on the legal structure of the Points of
Light Initiative Foundation and the legislation needed
to accomplish the Foundation's goals. The Commission
is scheduled to report to the President in early
December.
-- The Foundation will also discover and encourage and
develop new leaders in the field of community service
by sponsoring workshops, forums, and symposia on
community service leadership development, and by
recognizing new leaders through at least two new
Presidential Awards:
-- The National Service Youth Leadership Awards will
be given each year to individuals.
51
:
The President's Build A Community Awards will
honor those people and institutions who have
worked together to rebuild families or to
revitalize communities.
CIVIL RIGHTS
The Bush Administration is committed to reaching out to
minorities, and to striking down barriers to free and open
access. The President has made it clear that this Administration
will not tolerate discrimination, bigotry, or bias of any kind.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
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.
-- The President called upon Congress to reauthorize the
Commission on Civil Rights. Following Congressional
action, the President signed legislation reauthorizing
the Commission through 1991.
-- The Administration endorsed the Hate Crimes Bill, which
provides for the collection of data about crimes
motivated by race, religion, or ethnicity.
:
On March 13, Attorney General Thornburgh announced the
filing of Federal housing discrimination lawsuits
52
seeking monetary damages and civil penalties under the
expanded enforcement authority of the Fair Housing
Amendments Act of 1988.
Disabled Americans: The President is committed to
legislation that would extend civil rights protections to
disabled Americans. This legislation, called the Americans
with Disabilities Act, would represent the most significant
expansion of federal civil rights laws in the past two
decades. A version of the Act passed the Senate on
September 7, and has been awaiting consideration in the
House since then.
--
The legislation would provide unprecedented protections
against discrimination in the area of employment,
requiring reasonable accommodation be made by employers
for disabled potential employees.
--
Most new buildings would be required to be accessible
to the disabled.
--
Stores, providers of services, restaurants, and other
public accommodations in existing buildings would be
required to serve disabled Americans to the same extent
they serve able Americans.
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
53
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.
WELFARE REFORM
The Administration has implemented 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 final rules on
October 13 to implement the Job Opportunities and Basic
Skills Training Program (JOBS) of the Family Support Act of
1988. The rules are designed to:
54
--
Assist welfare recipients to become self-sufficient by
providing needed employment-related activities and
support services.
--
Provide maximum level of flexibility to AFDC parents in
obtaining the type of child care that best suits their
needs, consistent with the principle of parental choice
embodied in the Administration's legislative proposals
on child care.
|
The Administration is proposing to spend $3.6 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 there will be 138,000 fewer families on the
welfare rolls over five years as a result of this
program.
Low Income Opportunity Board: To continue progress in the
area of welfare reform, the President reinstated this
welfare policy coordinating unit established under President
Reagan as the Interagency Low Income Opportunity Advisory
Board. The Board enhances interagency coordination of
Executive Branch activities designed to lift low-income
Americans up from dependency, and assists States that seek
to demonstrate more effective approaches for using Federal
dollars to serve the low-income population.
55
EXPANSION OF MEDICAID
The President is committed to ensuring quality health care
for disadvantaged mothers and children, the disabled, and poor,
aged Americans. To help achieve this goal, federal spending on
Medicaid will be $39.1 billion for FY 1990, an increase of $4.8
billion, or 12.2 percent over the FY 1989 level.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Expanding Medicaid: President Bush has taken concrete steps
toward improving health care for at-risk populations and
decreasing infant mortality. This year, he asked Congress
to raise mandatory Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women,
infants and children to 130 percent of the poverty level.
Congress took action to raise the eligibility to 133% --
consistent with the President's proposal. In addition, he
requested an expansion of Medicaid coverage of immunizations
for all children under age 6 who are eligible for Food
Stamps.
ETHICS
President Bush is committed to high ethical standards for
his Administration and will enforce these standards strictly,
56
comprehensively, and fairly. The Administration also remains
committed to an overhaul of the existing campaign finance system.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Ethics Law Reform: The President issued an Executive Order
creating the President's Commission on Federal Ethics Law
Reform, which submitted its recommendations on March 9.
Responding to the Commission's work, the President, on April
12, sent to Congress a sweeping ethics bill and
simultaneously issued an Executive Order announcing ethical
principles for the conduct of executive branch employees.
Recently, Congress, in consultation with the President,
passed an ethics reform measure which included a pay raise
for members of Congress and certain federal officers and
employees. Many of the provisions of that package mirror
the President's original proposals.
-- Strengthened post-employment restrictions -- applicable
for the first time to Congress -- that protect against
individuals abusing the revolving door for private
gain.
--
A ban on receipt of honoraria by all Federal employees
for speeches and articles, and a cap on outside earned
income for higher salaried non-career employees in all
three branches. (As enacted, neither these limits nor
the concomitant salary increase applies to Senators or
57
Senate employees.) Full-time non-career Presidential
appointees in the Executive Branch are prohibited from
receiving any outside earned income.
-- Deferral of tax liability when individuals are required
by the Office of Government Ethics to divest assets in
order to avoid conflicts of interest. The President's
Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform endorsed this
reform and identified divestiture as "the single most
important device" to eliminate conflicts of interest.
-- Establishment of consistent financial disclosure rules
across the three branches of government.
-- Creation of uniform conflict-of-interest rules for
high-level House and Senate staff that prohibit contact
with Executive Branch agencies about matters in which
staff members have personal financial interests.
--
Development of a single Executive-Branch-wide set of
standards of conduct regulations.
Campaign Finance Reform: The President's comprehensive
campaign finance reform proposal is designed to lessen the
power of monied special interests and enhance the role of
individuals and the political parties in elections. It also
seeks to restore real competition to American Congressional
elections. Below are proposal highlights:
-- Eliminating political action committees (PACs) funded
by corporations, unions, or trade associations, and
58
prohibiting such entities from paying for the overhead
or administrative costs of any independent PAC.
-- Strengthening political parties by increasing the
support they are permitted to provide congressional
candidates. Heightened party involvement would enhance
our political system, further neutralize the power and
influence of monied special interests and permit
candidates to spend less time on fundraising and more
time addressing the issues.
-- Addressing the problem of the "permanent Congress" by
reforms designed to reduce the unfair advantages of
incumbency. Specifically, the proposals would
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.
-- Requiring full disclosure of all soft money spent by
the political parties and all labor unions,
corporations, and trade associations to influence a
federal election.
###
massue 2800
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/6/89
9:00 AM, FRIDAY, DEC. 8
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA - ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
PORTER ROSE
CICCONI
DELAND
DEMAREST
BROMLEY
FITZWATER
BOSKIN
ANDERSON
GRAY
HAGIN
WRAY
PETERSMEYER
REMARKS:
PINKERTON
The attached is for final review in terms of accuracy and for
inclusion of all relevant initiatives.
Please forward comments directly to Chriss Winston by 9:00 AM,
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Gary Edoon 6850-USTR. Gordon Binder - -EPA-382- 4700
245-2927- Robin Carle Scott Reed - 755-3636 -
HHS
HUD.
1
John Schumaker- - 453-1005
NASA
Grant 1989 DEC -6 PM 6: 03
Draft 5
Chino Chapa-
December 5, 1989
Education 732-3010
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
Jony Schall 633-2899 - Justice
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
SUMMARY
As the Bush Administration finishes its first year, changes
are taking place rapidly in the international arena. The
President successfully worked to encourage peaceful progress
toward democracy in Eastern Europe. Relations with the allies
remain strong, after both the NATO Summit and the Paris Economic
Summit. In the fall, the President unveiled his National Drug
Control Strategy in a televised address to the Nation, and called
the Nation's Governors together for the Education Summit. The
Administration proposed initiatives in a number of areas, from
child care to protecting the environment to ethics reforms. The
economy is strong, with the current economic expansion continuing
to set new records and create new jobs.
KEEPING THE ECONOMY STRONG
Record expansion: During the current economic expansion --
in its 84th month as of November -- over 20.5 million jobs
have been created and the unemployment rate has fallen to
levels not seen in 15 years. Income levels have risen
2
sharply and growth in industrial output is over one-and-a-
half times that of Western Europe. Real per capita income,
output and business fixed investment are at record levels.
Yet, consumer price inflation has remained under five
percent for the past seven years.
Savings and Loans: In August the President signed the
Financial Institution Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act
of 1989 to begin resolving the savings and loan situation.
The President's plan introduced in the first days of the
Administration, tackles the enormous fiscal crisis that
existed and calls for tough standards to help ensure such a
crisis never happens again.
Third World debt: The Administration has taken the lead in
finding a way to reduce the debt burden and encourage
economic growth in developing countries. At the
Administration's urging, the IMF and World Bank have set
aside funds to support debt reduction programs for
developing countries. Three countries have successfully
negotiated final debt agreements in principle under the
Administration's debt plan.
International Trade: Leading efforts to promote free and
fair trade, the Bush Administration successfully advanced
the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations including and its
3
proposal to correct and prevent trade distortions in
and its proposal to create rules for international thade in
agriculture. It is engaged in bilateral trade talks with Jewices.
Japan to discuss impediments to expanding trade and
encourage it to open its markets to our exports.
Budget policy: After extensive negotiations by the
Administration with Congress an agreement was reached on a
budget plan for FY 1990. The plan meets the Gramm-Rudman-
Hollings deficit target for the fiscal year with no new
taxes.
Minimum wage: The President signed legislation which will
raise the minimum wage in increments to $4.25 an hour by
1991 and will create an historic training wage. A higher
minimum wage will help the working poor, and the new
training wage will allow businesses to provide young, less
experienced workers with job opportunities.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
A Resurgence of Democracy: At the outset of the
Administration, the President developed a strategy to
encourage and help sustain the historic processes taking
place, especially in Eastern Europe. In April, the
President spoke in Hamtramck, Michigan, and called for self-
4
determination in Eastern Europe and an end to the division
of the continent. In May, President Bush called for the
Berlin Wall to come down, and set forth his vision of a
Europe "whole and free" during his visit to Mainz, Germany.
Though events moved faster than anyone anticipated, the
United States remains on the course set by the President
last spring. Similarly, in the Western Hemisphere,
democracy continues to advance. In October, the President
attended a meeting of hemispheric President's in Costa Rica
to celebrate 100 years of that country's democracy.
Poland and Hungary: The President's strong support for
political pluralism and economic reform in Poland and
Hungary was highlighted by his visits to those nations and
by the international leadership he has exercised to mobilize
major international backing for these reforms. The
President offered a major U.S. package of economic
assistance and trade and investment incentives to assist in
the economic restructuring of Poland and Hungary which
became the framework for the "support for East European
Democracy Act," passed by Congress and signed by the
President. the He also offered environmental gide to
May Both countries to help them address pollution
Problemo.
"Beyond Containment": The President has welcomed the
extraordinary political and economic changes underway in the
Soviet Union. In a major speech at Texas A&M, he
5
established a new American policy, "Beyond Containment,"
that seeks to integrate Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
into the community of nations. Major progress has been made
in arms reduction including strategic arms reduction, a
global ban on chemical weapons, and a new "open skies"
initiative. The bilateral agenda has been broadened to
include transnational issues such as the environment and the
struggle against drug abuse.
[Malta to come.]
Economic Summit: Under President Bush's leadership, the
Paris Economic Summit in July agreed to launch concerted
international action to support Polish and Hungarian
economic reforms and to coordinate efforts for the maximum
effectiveness of Western assistance. The Economic Summit
also made further progress on key U.S. economic and
political objectives such as a strengthened debt strategy,
economic policy coordination, completion of the Uruguay
Round by December 1990 and international cooperation on
protection of the environment.
NATO Summit: The President seized the arms control
initiative and won the strong support of our allies with a
bold proposal to reduce conventional forces in Europe. The
Alliance also agreed on a rapid pace of negotiations aimed
at reaching an agreement within a year. The U.S. proposal
6
would involve deep cuts in Warsaw Pact manpower and
equipment, and moderate cuts on the NATO side to achieve a
stable balance in Europe.
China: Visiting China soon after taking office, the
President underscored the long-term strategic importance of
the Sino-U.S. relationship and his support for the process
of reform. In response to the subsequent suppression of the
democratic movement in China, the President took strong
actions to make clear that we condemn repression even while
we work in the U.S. interest to preserve the basic elements
of this important relationship. The President also acted
swiftly to ensure that no Chinese nationals in the U.S.
would be deported against their will -- action that has
since been extended and broadened.
Central American Accord: The President and Congressional
leaders agreed on March 24 on a bipartisan strategy for
peace and democracy in Central America. With the agreement,
for the first time in years, the U.S. has a broadly
supported strategy aimed at bringing about free and fair
elections and establishment of democracy in Nicaragua. The
Administration also remains committed to the support of
democracy in El Salvador and the rest of the region.
7
Strengthening our strategic Deterrent: After a thorough
review of U.S. defense strategy, the President submitted to
the Congress a defense budget that will modernize our
deterrent capability including, after more than a decade of
debate, specific proposals for two mobile ICBMs. The
strategic modernization program also includes the
revolutionary B-2 bomber, the D-5 missile for our submarine
force, and funding to support an informed development and
deployment decision on the Strategic Defense Initiative
within the next four years. Although Congress made some
reductions in the Administration's requests for these and
other programs, its actions generally support the Presidents
objectives.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
Education Summit: The President called the Nation's
Governors together for an historic Education Summit. The
Administration and the Governors committed to facilitate
education reform in America by: establishing national
education goals; working for greater flexibility in the use
of Federal funds in exchange for increased accountability;
implementing state-by-state restructuring of the education
system; and adopting ways of measuring progress.
admition
Pren dent also to
8
submitted The Prestation slation
the
Educational Excellence: The President submitted to Congress
a comprehensive set of education initiatives, The
Thislegis.
edue.
Educational Excellence Act of 1989. The Act includes
proposals for merit and magnet schools, alternative
thesisting
certification of teachers, excellence awards for teachers,
enhanced
and
emergency grants to help urban schools to fight drugs,
Hexibility
increased funding for endowments at Historically Black
Colleges, and a National Science Scholars program.
National Drug Control Strategy: In his first Address to the
Nation, the President unveiled a comprehensive, coordinated
strategy for fighting illegal drug use. The President has
five priority areas: the criminal justice system; drug
treatment; education, community action, and the workplace;
international initiatives; and interdiction efforts.
National Transportation Policy: Under the direction of the
President, the Department of Transportation is developing a
National Transportation Policy to guide the long-term
allocation of public and private resources so that
transportation systems -- highway, aviation, transit, rail
and maritime -- enhance national economic growth and global
competitiveness, national security and the environment and
personal mobility. The Department of Transportation has
held nearly 100 sessions with the public and interested
9
groups to solicit recommendations and generate new ideas for
the Policy.
Combatting Violent Crime: President Bush transmitted to
Congress The Comprehensive Violent Crime Control Act of 1989
proposing measures to augment enforcement and prosecution,
strengthen current law, restrict certain semi-automatic
weapons, and expand prison capacity.
Clean Air Act revisions: On July 21, President Bush
transmitted to the Congress the first proposed revisions to
the Clean Air Act since 1977. His legislation is designed
to harness the power of the marketplace to drastically
reduce three major threats to the nation's environment: acid
rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions.
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 by January 1,
1993 marking the first time since 1954 that energy markets
will be completely deregulated.
Clean water and coastlines: On March 10, the Department of
Justice and the EPA implemented a medical waste tracking
program to track medical wastes to ensure proper disposal
11
Wetlands: The President is committed to "no net loss" of
wetlands and is directing his executive branch agencies,
through an interagency task force, to make recommendations
to achieve that goal. He has also proposed a major increase
in funding to expand and improve parks, wildlife refuges,
forests, and recreational land.
Space: The President has committed the nation to "a
sustained program of manned exploration of the solar system"
and "the permanent settlement of space." To this end, he
has identified as critical elements of the U.S. space
program: the permanently manned Space Station Freedom,
manned missions to the Moon and to Mars, and the Mission to
Planet Earth aimed at understanding Earth's fragile
environment. The President established the National Space
Council under the leadership of Vice President Quayle to
coordinate U.S. space activities.
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
Affordable Housing: The President unveiled HOPE, a
comprehensive agenda of Homeownership and Opportunity for
People Everywhere. Major elements include provisions to
help first-time home buyers, low-income housing residents,
and the homeless, and to create up to fifty enterprise zones
over the next four years. The President signed legislation
12
that substantially increases funding under the McKinney
Homeless Assistance Act. Secretary Kemp has been charged
with finding new ways to put more FHA foreclosures into the
hands of non-profit groups that serve the homeless.
The Homeless: The President requested full funding of the
McKinney Homeless Assistance Act in FY 1990 and proposed an
additional $50 million to encourage public-private
partnerships to reduce homelessness The President recently
signed legislation that substantially increases funding for
the McKinney Act.
Child Care: The President transmitted to Congress a child
care proposal, 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 age four, for low
income working families. This legislation will also make
the existing Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit refundable,
and does not discriminate against religious or family-based
child care or a parent who chooses not to work outside the
home.
Head Start: The President also challenged Congress to
funding y 250 million
increase Head Start in FY 1990 to enable more four-year-olds
allow 95,000
to participate in the program. As a result, Congress action
provided only
151 million
His Hope initiative proposes an innovative new program to
link shelter with social services for the Homeless.
13
the heads to serve tant program upto
appropriated $170 million which will provide for that
participation of 37,500 more four-year-olds.
stet.
Eradication Efforts:
Experimental AIDS Drugs: Through the promotion of wider
availability of experimental and therapeutic drugs such as
AZT, the President has demonstrated his commitment to the
eradication of the HIV virus and AIDS. Spending for the effort
to heat and eradicate HIV was also increased 64 23% J
(606 million increase over FX'89)
Adoption: In September, the President sent two legislative
proposals to Congress designed to encourage adoption of
special needs children, through tax incentives and expense
reimbursements for adoptive parents. In addition, the
President has directed all Federal agencies to develop plans
for supporting and promoting adoption of special needs
children.
National Service: The President is spearheading a movement
to call on all individuals and institutions in America to
engage in community service. He announced the formation of
a foundation known as "The Points of Light Initiative" to:
cause all Americans to claim social problems as their own;
identify, enlarge and multiply successful community service
initiatives; and discover, encourage, and develop new
community leaders.
14
Civil Rights: The President has signed legislation
reauthorizing the Commission on Civil Rights through FY
1991. The Administration has endorsed the Hate Crimes Bill,
which provides for the collection of data about crimes
motivated by race, religion, or ethnicity. The Civil Rights
Division of the Department of Justice has vigorously pursued
the enforcement of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988
which became effective in March.
Disabled Americans: The President is committed to
legislation that would extend civil rights protections to
disabled Americans. This legislation, called the Americans
with Disabilities Act, would represent the most significant
expansion of federal civil rights laws in the past two
decades. With the support of the Administration, a version
of the Act passed the Senate on September 7, and has been
under consideration in the House since then.
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.
Medicaid: To address the all-too-high infant mortality rate,
the Administration forwarded to Congress legislation to
15
improve federal Medicaid assistance to pregnant women,
infants, and children. Congress raised the mandatory
Medicaid eligibility to 133% of the poverty level consistent
with what President Bush suggested.
Campaign Finance Reform: The President introduced
comprehensive campaign finance legislation designed to
lessen the power of special economic interests and restore
real competition to American Congressional elections.
Ethics: Numerous ethics reforms proposed in President Bush's
ethics legislation were enacted by Congress in the
"Government Ethics Reform Act of 1989" shortly before it
adjourned. Key reforms include the extension of post-
employment "revolving door" restrictions to the Legislative
Branch, a ban on receipt of honoraria by all Federal
employees (except Senators and employees of the Senate), and
tax deferral for Federal employees required to sell assets
to avoid conflicts of interest. President Bush also issued
an ethics Executive Order in April setting forth strict
principles for the conduct of Executive Branch employees.
Welfare Reform: The Administration issued final rules on
October 13 to implement the Job Opportunities and Basic
Skills Training programs of the Family Support Act of 1988,
as the next step in welfare reform. The Administration is
16
proposing to spend $3.6 3.745 billion over the next five years to
3.745
implement the JOBS program. The Act will help reduce the
number of individuals who need welfare.
###
1 why not food safety in this section?
Grant
Draft Four
December 4, 1989
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
ACCOMPLISHMENTS 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 exceptionally good with extraordinary job growth. The
policies of the Bush Administration are designed to preserve this
strong record.
Record peacetime expansion: The current expansion reached 84
months in November. This is the second longest economic
expansion in U.S. history and the longest peacetime
expansion.
Job creation: Over 20 million new jobs have been created
during this expansion, and this year the unemployment rate
has reached levels not seen in over 15 years. The benefits
of robust economic growth have been shared by all
demographic groups as indicated by historically low
unemployment rates for women and minorities. During this
decade, America has created more new jobs than Japan and the
nations of Western Europe combined. A higher percentage of
2
American adults is at work than at any other time in our
history.
Record income: Real per capita disposable personal income --
personal income after taxes and inflation -- has risen 20
percent during this expansion.
Higher national saving and investment: Partly due to the
discipline of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings process, the Federal
deficit has declined from 6.3 percent of GNP in fiscal year
1983 to 3.0 percent in FY 1989. The personal saving rate
averaged 5.4 percent over the first three quarters of 1989,
well above its recent low of 3.2 percent in 1987.
o
New Business Incorporations: During the first nine months
of 1989, 520,108 new corporations were formed. Ninety-eight
percent of these new corporations are small businesses. At
the same time, business failures numbered just 37,380 -- a
decline of 15.9 percent from the first nine months of 1988.
Improved International Trade Position: The international
trade position of the United States has improved
substantially. U.S. exports are at an all-time high and the
trade deficit (as measured by exports minus imports) has
been cut in half from its level in 1987.
Jchack
3
Inflation under control: Consumer price inflation has
remained under 5 percent in each of the seven years from
1982 to 1988, and the recent slowing in economic growth to a
sustainable rate will lessen price pressures in the near
future. In the last twelve months, the CPI has increased
only 4.5 percent and, in the last three months, the index
has risen at an annual rate of only 2.6 percent.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Implementing fiscal restraint: Throughout the year, the
Administration negotiated with Congress to pass a fiscally
responsible budget agreement that met the requirements of
the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law. As a result of the
negotiations, a series of appropriations bills and a budget
reconciliation bill were finally enacted which meet the
deficit reduction targets with no new taxes.
Addressing the international debt problem: The
Administration has taken the lead in encouraging commercial
banks to reduce the debt and debt service burdens of
developing countries. Recently, three countries -- Mexico,
the Philippines, and Costa Rica -- have reached final
agreements or agreements in principle with commercial banks
under the Administration's debt plan. The differences in
these agreements appropriately reflect differing
4
circumstances in the three countries and illustrate the
flexibility of the Administration's approach.
Minimum wage agreement: The Administration and
Congressional leaders reached agreement on a plan, now
signed into law, to raise the minimum wage to $4.25 per hour
and to permit businesses to pay a training wage to young,
entry-level workers. The higher minimum wage will help the
working poor while preserving jobs and the training wage
will allow businesses to hire inexperienced workers and give
them the start they need in a working career.
Disaster assistance: The Administration and Congress have
worked together to provide necessary supplemental funding to
assist victims of Hurricane Hugo and the California
earthquake. This funding is helping to provide those who
lost their homes with temporary shelter, is assisting
uninsured, needy families and business owners rebuild their
homes and business establishments, and is helping
governments in the affected areas rebuild highways and other
public facilities. Federal funding to rebuild
transportation systems will exceed $1 billion.
Savings and Loan reform: The President signed the Financial
Institution Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 on
August 9. This legislation came to grips with the serious
5
fiscal problems facing our savings and loan industry, and
has safeguarded and stabilized America's financial system.
The Act assures that the long developing problems in our
savings industry will never happen again. It significantly
reforms the regulation of the thrift industry and separates
the chartering of the institutions from the insurance of
deposits. It establishes strict new guidelines to assure
the solvency of thrift institutions in the future, including
new capital requirements, and sets stiff penalties for
wrongdoing by the officers of insured institutions.
Further, the act provides $50 billion to finance the
restructuring of insolvent institutions.
International Trade: The Administration is forcefully
promoting the opening of world markets through bilateral
negotiations, and the Uruguay Round of multilateral
negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade. It successfully broke a stalemate in the Uruguay
for negotiations,
Round's mid-term review and put in place a framework, agreed
open markets and create rules for fair
to by the 96 member nations, to correct and prevent trade
play.
in international
distortions in agriculture It is engaged in bilateral
trade in
goods +
trade talks with Japan to identify and eliminate structural
services.
factors that may impede efficient patterns of world trade.
The approaches being pursued in these discussions will
provide long-term benefits for both countries. The
Administration has also created a high level interagency
6
group to assure that U.S. trade and investment interests are
addressed as the European Community works to create a single
market in 1992. To further meet the global economic
challenges of the 1990's, the President named Vice President
Quayle chairman of a newly established Council on
Competitiveness. Under the leadership of the Vice
President, the council has developed a strategy for reform
of the existing maze of product liability laws in order to
maintain American competitiveness.
Steel imports: The President initiated and the
Administration successfully implemented a two-and-a-half
year Steel Trade Liberalization Program. The program is
designed to phase out, in a responsible and orderly manner,
the Voluntary Restraint Arrangements (VRAs) that currently
limit steel imports into the U.S. and to negotiate an
eliminate subsidies and other.
international consensus to address trade-distorting
practices.
Agricultural initiatives: The Administration has placed its
comprehensive agricultural proposals before the Uruguay
Round of multilateral trade negotiations. These proposals
would harmonize domestic agricultural programs of producing
countries and reduce distortions to patterns of
international production and trade. In addition, the
7
Administration has formed a task force to develop a farm
bill for 1990.
National Energy Strategy: The President directed the
Secretary of Energy to develop a comprehensive national
energy strategy for the nation. The strategy will layout
short, mid and long-term options to help the nation meet our
energy security and environmental responsibilities and, at
the same time, ensure that markets will provide a sensible
mix of energy sources to protect America's economic
competitiveness. In the meantime, the Administration has
moved to enhance energy security and conserve our natural
resources by accelerating the filling of the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve to 750 million barrels, increasing
automobile fuel efficiency standards, and requiring new
appliances built after 1992 to use 25 percent less energy
than today's models.
Women and Minority Business Ownership: The President has
called for the promotion of women's business ownership
through a series of procurement and credit conferences
conducted by the Small Business Administration. The SBA has
also implemented a new small loan program beneficial to
women entrepreneurs. To advise the Administration on ways
to promote the growth of minority business ownership, the
President announced the formation of the Minority Business
8
Development Commission. The S.B.A. has also implemented new
regulations to strengthen the Minority Small Business and
Capital Ownership Development program and further promote
minority business development.
SEIZING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
In his Inaugural Address, the President said, "The day of
the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old
ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient lifeless tree."
Indeed, this year has seen dramatic and promising changes. From
the Third World to the Communist World, the resurgence of the
ideals of political and economic freedom has shaken Marxist and
other authoritarian regimes to their foundations. The President
is determined to continue moving on a broad front to seize this
unique opportunity to strengthen world peace and the cause of
freedom.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
A Resurgence of Democracy: Maintaining America's leadership
role in the world, the President developed a strategy to
encourage and help sustain the historic processes taking
place, especially in Eastern Europe. Early in his
Administration, the President expressed his hope for the
success of perestroika in the Soviet Union. In April, he
9
spoke in Hamtramck, Michigan, calling for self-determination
in Eastern Europe and an end to the division of the
continent. In May, President Bush called for the Berlin
Wall to come down, and he set forth his vision of a Europe
"whole and free" during his visit to Mainz, Germany. In the
Western Hemisphere, the President strongly supported the
extension of democracy especially in Nicaragua and Panama
where the United States has worked with the O.A.S. to
encourage free and fair elections -- and to condemn efforts
to thwart the express will of the people. In October, the
President underscored the U.S. commitment to hemispheric
democracy by attending the 100th anniversary celebration of
Costa Rican democracy.
Western Europe: The President proposed new mechanisms for
U.S. consultation and cooperation with the EC Commission and
member states as the European Community works toward
creating a single market in 1992. Seeing the resurgence of
Western Europe as a triumph of democratic values and
principles, the President has welcomed its success,
confident that a mature U.S.-E.C. partnership will serve our
mutual interests and serve as a beacon for the East.
NATO Summit: At the successful NATO Summit in May, the
President's vision of Europe as well as agreement on a new
conventional arms reduction initiative helped build Alliance
10
unity and confidence and define the Alliance's future
agenda.
Eastern Europe: As Poland and Hungary have taken
unprecedented steps toward pluralism, democracy, and market
economic policies, the United States has encouraged each
step and signaled its strong support. The President has also
encouraged more recent movement towards change in East
Germany, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia. The President's
strong support for political pluralism and economic reform
in Hungary and Poland was highlighted by his visits to those
nations, and by the international leadership he exercised in
mobilizing major international backing for these reforms.
The President offered a major U.S. package of economic
assistance and trade and investment incentives to assist in
the economic restructuring of Poland and Hungary. All
elements of the President's package were adopted by Congress
and become the framework for the "Support for East European
Democracy Act."
Poland: Following up on the program he announced on April 17
in Hamtramck, Michigan, the President called upon Congress
to declare Poland a beneficiary country under the U.S.
Generalized System of Preferences and to authorize the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation to operate in
Poland. The U.S. proposed a business and economic agreement
11
that will promote trade, investment and other contacts
between the private sectors of both countries. The
President also asked Congress to approve a $200 million
grant for stabilization purposes, which would be the U.S.
contribution to the $1 billion in Western assistance the
Poles have requested. In November, he sent a Presidential
Mission of experts to Warsaw, headed by Agriculture
Secretary Yeutter, to discuss with the Polish Government its
economic plans and evaluate its needs. The mission also
included Secretaries Dole and Mosbacher, and Michael Boskin,
Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, along with
business and labor leaders. It will make recommendations to
the President based on their findings and deliberations with
experts from the twenty-four nation "Group for Economic
Assistance to Poland and Hungary" as to the most effective
use of the $1 billion stabilization fund. The President has
also asked Congress to provide a $100 million Enterprise
Fund to help capitalize and invigorate the Polish private
sector and has encouraged the World Bank to move ahead with
new loans to help Polish agriculture and industry. The
Administration signed a cultural agreement with Poland which
will result in the opening of a U.S. cultural center in
Warsaw.
Hungary: The President also asked Congress to authorize a
$25 million Enterprise Fund as a source of new capital to
12
invigorate the Hungarian private sector. The President
informed Congress that Hungary is now receiving Most-
Favored-Nation tariff treatment for the maximum period
allowable under the law. The President also declared
Hungary a beneficiary country under our Generalized System
of Preferences which will allow duty free entry of Hungarian
products into the U.S. market. He also called for
legislation to allow OPIC to operate in Hungary, and for
greater scientific, technical, educational, and cultural
exchanges between the U.S. and Hungary. The U.S. will
negotiate a comprehensive business and economic agreement
with Hungary to improve the business environment there while
the President will seek to establish an International
Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe in
Budapest. Finally, he announced that the Peace Corps would
operate in Hungary to enhance English language training --
the first time in a European country.
The Economic Summit in Paris: Immediately after the
President's historic visit to Poland and Hungary, he
proposed to the other world leaders gathered at the Paris
Economic Summit that the industrial democracies join
together to assist economic and political reform in Hungary
and Poland. This led to creation of the "Group for Economic
Assistance to Poland and Hungary." The industrial
democracies also demonstrated their unity, by dealing with a
13
variety of issues on the international economic agenda, as
well as the problem of drugs and the environment.
"Beyond Containment": Seeing an historic process of change
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 goal is
integrating the Soviet Union into the world community as a
constructive partner. Positive 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 U.S.-Soviet dialogue on conflicts in regions of the
Third World has resumed intensively, and discussions
have begun on a new range of global problems that
require global cooperation, such as terrorism, the
environment, and narcotics.
-- In arms control, the President has accelerated the pace
of negotiations, with a new American initiative on
reducing conventional forces in Europe, endorsed by the
NATO Summit. At the Wyoming Ministerial, the U.S. and
U.S.S.R. resolved major disagreements about the
verification protocols to the Threshold Test Ban and
Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaties, opening the way
to completion of the treaties in 1990. The President
14
also proposed an "Open Skies" initiative to improve the
openness of military activities in NATO and Warsaw pact
countries; it will be the subject of a Canadian-
sponsored international conference early in 1990.
Finally, in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly,
the President proposed a new initiative to further a
ban on chemical weapons, challenging the Soviets to
early destruction of the majority of the stocks of
these weapons even while a multilateral treaty is being
negotiated.
China: On his visit to China in February, the President
emphasized the long-term strategic importance of the U.S.- -
China relationship and his support for the process of
reform. In response to the subsequent 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
U.S. and Chinese military leaders, and review of other
aspects of U.S.-PRC bilateral relations. The President also
acted swiftly to ensure that no Chinese nationals in the
U.S. would be deported against their will, action that has
since been extended and broadened. The President's policy
makes clear that repression cannot be condoned. But it also
seeks to preserve the basic elements of a strategically
important relationship that has, itself, played a major part
15
in China's recent policy of reform and openness -- and can
do so again in the future.
Asian initiatives:
-- Japan: The U.S. relationship with Japan has grown
stronger under the Bush Administration. In security
matters, Japan's contribution to the maintenance of
U.S. forces stationed there increased by 12 percent, to
$2.8 billion per year, making it the most generous host
nation support program enjoyed by the U.S. anywhere in
the world. A major project also moved forward to co-
develop an advanced fighter, based on the F-16,
increasing the security of both Japan and the U.S. $2.5
billion in contracts for American companies and the
first significant technology flow-back from Japan. As
part of an emerging global partnership with the U.S.,
Japan will provide significant financial contributions
to Poland in development assistance. On trade matters,
the Structural Impediments Initiative talks have begun
to clarify the long term sources of U.S.-Japan trade
friction. In addition, the Administration began talks
aimed at opening markets for U.S. satellites, super-
computers, and forest products.
-- Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference: The
Administration succeeded in launching -- through joint
leadership with Japan, Korea, Australia and the ASEAN
16
states -- the first conference on Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation in Canberra, Australia, in November. This
was the first region-wide ministerial meeting to
address collective responses to the great economic
changes underway in the world. The APEC group will
seek to present a united position in the Uruguay Round
of GATT negotiations, establish working groups to study
infrastructural needs of great importance to U.S.
service industries in the region, and improve data
sharing. Although modest at the outset -- by design --
these accomplishments are a solid beginning to
fundamental trade liberalization in Asia and the
Pacific.
-- Cambodia: In September 1989, the U.S. insistence on
the right of self-determination for the Cambodian
people occupied by Vietnamese forces since 1978, was
rewarded by the withdrawal of Vietnamese main-force
military units. The United States will continue to
press for a comprehensive solution based on the
Cambodian people's right to choose its own government
in free and fair elections. Internationally-supervised
elections, under an interim government led by Prince
Sihanouk, hold the best prospect for denying dominance
to either the murderous Khmer Rouge or the Hun Sen
regime that was installed by the Vietnamese army.
17
Vice President Quayle, in two separate trips to the Pacific
rim countries and Asian nations, has played a key role in
the formulation of policy. In his spring trip to Australia,
Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, he worked to coordinate
U.S. policy on Cambodia with that of our allies after the
pullout of Vietnamese forces, and promoted U.S. trade
interests. This fall, in a trip to South Korea, Japan, the
Philippines, and Malaysia, the Vice President began delicate
base negotiations with the Philippines government. He also
restated U.S. commitment to Korea; signed an agreement on
space cooperation with Japan; and advanced U.S. Cambodian
policy in the region.
Latin America: The President has established a close,
working relationship with Latin American neighbors to foster
a new partnership on hemisphere problems like democracy,
debt, and drugs. Relations with Mexico are closer than at
ddd
any time in recent memory. In October, the President
attended a meeting of hemispheric leaders in San Jose, Costa
Rica, where he stressed the importance of democracy to the
Hemisphere and confirmed Nicaragua's isolation.
-- Panama: The U.S. has also worked with the Organization
of American States to develop a hemispheric consensus
that Manuel Noriega should leave power and permit
restoration of democratic rule. On November 30, the
President denied Panamanian flag vessels access to U.S.
18
ports after January 31, 1990. This measure will
deprive Noreiga's illegal regime of tens of millions of
dollars in revenue.
-- El Salvador: The President remains committed to
supporting the democratically elected government of El
Salvador. In Malta, the President insisted that the
Soviets take more effective action to stop Nicaragua
and Cuba from sending arms to the Marxist FMLN
guerrillas. The United States regards the preservation
of fundamental human rights as an integral part of its
effort to help build democratic institutions in El
Salvador and will work with the government to bring
human rights violators to justice.
In early February, Vice President Quayle traveled
to El Salvador to support free and fair elections and
to deliver a warning to the Salvadoran military over
human rights violations. In late June, the Vice
President again visited El Salvador, as well as Costa
Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras, advancing the
Administration's policy on Panama and Nicaragua. He
succeeded in having Costa Rican President Oscar Arias
join in pressuring the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua
to hold fair elections there.
19
Bipartisan Accord on Central America: On March 24, the
President and Congress agreed on a bipartisan plan 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
that Soviet and Cuban 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 Resistance at current
levels through the elections in Nicaragua scheduled for
February, 1990.
--
Democracy: The Marxist Sandinistas are being put to the
test to permit a real democratic electoral contest for
political power, fulfilling the promises of democratic
pluralism that they have made and broken so often
before. Aid to the Nicaraguan opposition to help bring
about a free and fair election was approved with
bipartisan Congressional support. On November 14, a
Presidential Commission on Election Monitoring in
Nicaragua was formed, including Senators and
Representatives from both sides of the aisle.
Middle East: The Administration is promoting progress
toward peace in the Middle East by supporting the Government
20
of Israel's May 14 initiative calling for Palestinian
elections in the occupied territories. A five point
framework advanced by the United States is central to these
efforts. These elections can be a step toward a
comprehensive peace settlement that assures Israel's
security and the legitimate political rights of the
Palestinians. The Administration also is actively
supporting the efforts of the Arab League and others to end
the internecine warfare and to bring peace in Lebanon.
African Initiatives: The Administration has worked with
Congress to achieve a bipartisan policy supporting the goal
of dismantling apartheid and establishing a non-racial
democratic society in South AFrica. It has also played a
significant role in supporting the free and fair elections
in Namibia, which have opened the door to independence and
democracy in that country.
A strong Defense: Congress adopted an integrated package
proposed by the President on strategic modernization that
modernizes the entire strategic triad. Although Congress
made some reductions in amounts requested, its actions
generally support the President's objectives.
--
The President proposed to Congress a two-missile plan
to maintain a strong, modernized strategic deterrent.
The bipartisan consensus to deploy the rail-mobile
21
Peacekeeper and the road-mobile Small ICBM will also
give the U.S. momentum in strategic arms control
negotiations.
--
The modernization plan capitalizes on the revolutionary
potential of the B-2, and modernizes the third leg of
the triad, our strategic submarine force. These
programs are all essential to our arms control
positions.
--
The President requested funding for the Strategic
Defense Initiative to support an informed development
and deployment decision within the next four years.
-- The President also directed a Defense Management Review
to develop a plan to implement fully the Packard
Commission's blueprint to strengthen and streamline the
defense acquisition system and to manage defense
resources more effectively. The Review has been
completed and its recommendations now being implemented
promise to save billions of dollars annually.
Air Transportation Security: The Administration has taken
several measures to enhance security and efficiency in the
air transportation system. These efforts include:
-- New requirements for installation of explosive
detection devices in high-risk airports.
-- Intense international negotiations to enhance security
abroad.
22
-- Establishment of the President's Commission on Aviation
Security and Terrorism.
-- A proposed 17% increase in the budget for the Federal
Aviation Administration.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
Record economic growth has provided Americans with the
opportunity to invest in a brighter future. But, because the
Nation's available resources are limited, the President's
programs are designed to focus our efforts on those initiatives
most likely to continue to create growth in the years ahead.
EDUCATION
The President pledged to provide national leadership in
education reform. His actions to improve education are guided by
and success
four principles: encouraging excellence; targeting need;
promoting flexibility and choice; and ensuring accountability.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
President Bush convened "The President's Education Summit
with Governors" on September 27 and 28 in Charlottesville,
Virginia. This event marked only the third time in our
Nation's history that a President has called on the
Governors to address a single issue of national importance.
24
O
On April 5, the President submitted to Congress a
comprehensive set of education initiatives, The Educational
Excellence Act of 1989. The Act proposes:
-- The Presidential Merit Schools program -- to reward
schools that are making 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.
-- President's Awards for Excellence in Education -- to
recognize 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.
education
23
The Summit brought together the President, his Cabinet and
the Governors in working groups and plenary sessions to
focus on issues of choice and restructuring, teaching, the
learning environment, governance, a competitive workforce
and life-long learning, and postsecondary education.
-- The President and the Governors issued a Joint
Statement -- a "Jeffersonian compact" -- committing to
four objectives for education reform in America:
establish toidentify aprocess
establish national education goals; increase
flexibility in the use of Federal funds; implement
Check
state-by-state restructuring of the education system
in
exchange for enhanced accountability for results; and
measure progress. A commitment was made to develop
national goals and initiatives increase flexibility and
accountability by early 1990.
On June 5, the President announced his intention to form the
President's Education Policy Advisory Committee. Chaired by
Paul O'Neill, Chief Executive Officer of Alcoa, the
committee's membership includes representatives from
education, business, labor and the media. The committee,
which met for the first time in November, will advise the
President directly on issues related to education policy.
25
-- Additional Funding Authorization for Endowment Matching
Grants at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Educ-
to strengthen HBCUs by building endowments, an
especially effective way to create financial strength
Add educationation
and long-term security.
On April 24, the President issued a new Executive Order on
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Highlights of the order include:
-- Establishing the President's Board of Advisors on
Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the
Department of Education.
-- Directing Federal agencies to increase opportunities
for HBCU involvement in Federal programs and directing
the Secretary of Education to develop an Annual Federal
Plan for Assistance.
-- Calling for the White House Office of National Service,
along with other Federal offices to work to encourage
private sector support of HBCUs.
/Native
National American Initiative: The Departments of Education
and Interior have committed to a major initiative to ensure
Native American students receive a quality education.
Hispanic Initiative: The President has directed the
Secretary of Education to form a Task Force on Hispanic
26
Education to assess how well federal education programs
serve Hispanics and recommend ways to enhance the federal
role.
Job training: The Administration has sent to Congress a
proposal to improve the Job Training Partnership Act by
targeting its resources on the poor and at risk youth and
adults who most need job training to get jobs and become
economically self sufficient.
0
Student loan Default Initiative : The Department
of Education's due-diligence regulations
stipulate certain procedines that lenders
must follow in collecting student loans; of
they do not follow these rules, the
Department will not pay any default costs.
27
FIGHTING DRUG ABUSE
A new assault in the war on drugs began with the
announcement of the President's National Drug Control Strategy.
The President set major new priorities in five principal areas:
the criminal justice system; drug treatment; education, community
action, and the workplace; international initiatives; and
interdiction efforts. Throughout, the strategy emphasizes the
principle of user accountability.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
In his first televised Address to the Nation, the President
unveiled the National Drug Strategy in September, describing
a coordinated and comprehensive plan of attack under the
leadership of the Director of National Drug Control Policy,
William Bennett.
The National Drug Control Strategy recommends the largest
dollar increase in the history of the drug war -- nearly
$2.2 billion, 39 percent above the FY 1989 level. Elements
of the Strategy include:
-- Expanding the criminal justice system by providing
funds for more police, jails, prosecutors, and courts;
exploring alternatives for incarceration such as boot
28
camps to free up jail and prison space; and requiring
drug testing of prisoners, parolees, and arrestees.
-- Improving drug treatment by holding Federally-funded
treatment programs accountable for their effectiveness
through performance criteria; requiring drug testing in
treatment programs receiving Federal funds; exploring
the expanded use of "civil commitment," whereby addicts
are sent by the courts to residential treatment
facilities; and improving drug treatment services for
pregnant women.
-- Promoting education, community action, and the
workplace through emphasizing community-level
prevention of drug use; requiring schools and colleges
to implement firm drug-free policies as a condition of
receiving Federal funds; working for safe and drug-free
public housing; promoting drug-free workplace policies
in the private sector and implementing drug-free
workplace policies within the Federal government; and
by recommending testing for job applicants and
employees in safety and sensitive positions.
-- Increasing emphasis on international initiatives, such
as dismantling drug trafficking organizations,
targeting international efforts closer to production
and trafficking sources; and reducing trafficking
profits by focusing increased efforts on money
laundering. The President has engaged our foreign
29
policy in the international war against drugs. He
approved an Andean strategy involving a $2.2 billion
five-year program to help the Andean nations attack
production, processing and trafficking in drugs, called
for increased cooperation and coordination of anti-drug
programs with our allies, the Soviets and international
bodies, and raised drugs as a priority in U.S. foreign
policy.
-- Taking a fresh approach to interdiction efforts by
creating interagency and interdisciplinary teams to
analyze and target smuggling patterns, methods, and
routes; targeting key individuals and high-value
shipments; and enhancing the border interdiction
systems, operations, and activities of the U.S. Coast
Guard, Customs Service and the Department of Defense.
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,
30
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 June 15, President Bush sent to Congress The
Comprehensive Violent Crime Control Act of 1989 to combat
violent crime. The President's initiative includes:
-- 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
or drug-related crimes.
In addition, the Attorney General has advised
federal prosecutors to end plea bargaining with persons
accused of violent firearms offenses.
President Bush called on Congress to enact the
legislation 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: In July,
the Administration took action to ban permanently the
importation of those semi-automatic weapons which fail
31
to meet the criteria specified in the Gun Control Act
of 1968. The President also called for the closing of
enhanced penalties and/
related to the sale and transfer of
loopholes which allow access to such guns by certain
classes of criminals, and he proposed prohibiting the
importation, and manufacture, of gun magazines of more
than 15 rounds.
--
Augmenting Enforcement: The President has directed the
Attorney General and the Treasury Secretary, working
together with state and local authorities, to launch a
comprehensive, coordinated offensive against America's
most violent criminals.
President Bush requested funding for the hiring of
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, which also
counts on the cooperation of 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,
32
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%.
Each of the above proposals for increased funding
to fight violent crime was incorporated into the
appropriations bills for drug-related activities passed
by Congress at the close of the 1st Session and signed
by the President on November 21.
Anti-Drug Treaty: The Vienna Convention on Illicit Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances was strongly endorsed by the
President and forwarded to Congress for ratification. This
is the most significant and far-reaching treaty on
international cooperation on drug trafficking, chemical
precursor control, and money laundering ever to be signed.
THE ENVIRONMENT
President Bush, a life-long environmentalist, has taken
strong action to protect the environment. He has placed
environmental protection, conservation, and wise management of
our natural resources as high priorities on our national agenda.
33
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Clean Air legislation: On June 12, the President announced
proposals that will take advantage of the power of the
marketplace to reduce emissions which cause acid rain, urban
smog and toxic air pollution. The proposals, the first
major overhaul of the Clean Air Act to be proposed by an
Administration in over a decade, call for a 10 million ton
reduction in SO2 emissions by the year 2000, a 2 million ton
reduction in NOx from projected levels, a 40 percent
reduction in emission of volatile organic compounds, and a
reduction of 75 to 90 percent in air toxic emissions. The
proposal also calls for the use of alternative fuels in one
million vehicles by 1997. Alternative fuels, while reducing
emissions that cause smog will also reduce the toxic
granatic
aromatics which come from conventional gasoline. The
E
President submitted a comprehensive Clean Air bill to the
Congress on July 21 embodying the proposals announced on
June 12.
Earlier in the year, the statutory level
corporable average fuel economy parenthetical standard was
reinstated to 27.5 in gallons for 1990 model years cars
Natural Gas Decontrol: On July 26, the President signed into
law the Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989, which will end all
remaining price controls on natural gas, a clean-burning,
domestically abundant fuel by, 1993.
34
Clean Coal Technologies: The President proposed $710 million
in FY 1990 for the Clean Coal Technology program.
Clean water and coastlines: On March 10, the Department of
Justice and the EPA implemented a medical waste tracking
program to track medical wastes to ensure proper disposal
a maior Step forward
and prevent ocean pollution -- the first step in a
comprehensive program to help keep our beaches clean.
Ocean dumping: To meet the President's commitment to end
ocean dumping, the EPA negotiated agreements with the states
to stop dumping of sewage sludge by the end of 1991. This
initiative also resulted in civil judicial or administrative
penalty actions against 61 cities in 1989.
Cleaning up hazardous wastes: On March 10, The President
announced he will be seeking new legislation to amend the
may
be
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in order to give the
Separate
Legislation
United States Government authority to ban all exports of
check.
or
hazardous waste unless an agreement exists with the
drop
receiving country providing for the safe handling and
management of those wastes.
Alaskan oil spill: The President sent a Cabinet-level team
to assess the Alaskan oil spill, and a joint federal-state
resource recovery team was convened. Vice President Quayle
39
Asbestos Ban: On July 7, EPA announced an almost total
phase-out of nearly all uses of asbestos by 1997. The ban
will prohibit importation, manufacture, and processing of
asbestos, a carcinogen linked to lung cancer and
mesothelioma (lung and chest cancer).
Council on Environmental Quality: The President has begun
revitalizing his Council on Environmental Quality in the
Executive Office of the President. The Administration
Jeree
proposed doubling CEQ's budget in order for it to adequately
serve its environmental advisory function within the White
House.
Ban on African Elephant Ivory:
On June 5, the
Administration announced ban on imports of African elephant
on
ivory into the United States, making importation from any
country illegal. The ban covers both commercial and non-
commercial shipments. Since announcement of the ban, world
trade in ivory has fallen sharply.
Driftnet Fishing Agreements: The Administration successfully
persuaded Japan, Taiwan, and Korea to enter into driftnet
fishing agreements to monitor driftnet practices and enforce
laws prohibiting the taking of U.S. origin salmon.
40
Improved Forecasting: The Commerce Department announced that
beginning in Fiscal Year 1990, the National Weather Service
will modernize and restructure its operations to provide
improved forecasting and weather warning systems. The new
system will include advanced weather radar, observation
automation, and a new communications system.
Food Safety: In order to improve the federal government's
ability to protect American consumers and the environment
from potential dangers posed by the use of pesticides,
President Bush proposed a comprehensive program to enhance
food safety. The President's plan calls for major revisions
to two key laws to streamline EPA's ability to remove
potentially hazardous pesticides from the market. The
President's proposal also strengthens enforcement,
establishes scientifically sound threshold tolerance levels
for pesticides in or on food, and provides for national
uniformity in tolerance levels following a review of the
latest scientific evidence,
EXPLORING SPACE
The President has committed this nation to an aggressive
program to explore and use space in support of our national well
being. U.S. leadership in space continues to be a fundamental
objective guiding U.S. space activities.
41
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
During the past year, the U.S. space program has returned an
improved Space Shuttle Fleet to flight operations and
successfully completed five demanding missions. In the
space science area, a major revival of the planetary
exploration program has included launches of unmanned
missions to Venus and Jupiter in May and October, and the
August encounter of the planet Neptune by the Voyager 2
spacecraft.
On April 20, the President demonstrated the importance he
attaches to the U.S. space program by signing an Executive
Order establishing the National Space council. President
Bush named Vice President Quayle Chairman of the Council
which is charged with bringing "coherence, continuity, and
commitment to our efforts to explore, study, and develop
space."
On July 20, the announced a three-pronged program
Fapital president
for the manned exploration of outer space. In the 1990's
the U.S. will construct the permanently manned orbiting
Next,We will
space station, Freedom for the future a return to the Moon,
this time to stay; and then travel to the planet Mars. The
National Space Council is studying resource requirements and
42
the feasibility of international cooperation in the
President's human exploration initiative.
capitalize
On November 2, the President approved a new national space
policy updating and reaffirming U.S. goals and activities in
space. The policy was set forth in the National Space
Policy Directive #1, a new Presidential directive system
which gives space a unique policy status in the Bush
Administration. Areas affected include space exploration,
remote sensing, space transportation, space debris,
commercial space activities, and Space Station Freedom.
43
WORKING FOR A KINDER, GENTLER AMERICA
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The President is committed to bringing basic shelter and
affordable housing within reach of millions of Americans. His
HOPE initiative addresses the full range of housing concerns:
and home ownership
shelter for the homeless, affordable housing for low-income
families, open access to expanded job opportunities, and help for
first-time home buyers.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
O
On November 10, the President unveiled HOPE, a comprehensive
agenda of Homeownership and Opportunity for People
Everywhere. Major elements include:
-- First-time home buyers: The President will ask Congress
to enact legislation allowing first-time buyers to
draw, without penalty, on IRA savings as a downpayment
for their first home.
--
Low-income housing: The President called on Congress to
renew the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit as part of a
package that also includes a reduction in the capital
gains tax.
He has also called on Congress to create up
506 Creation
to 50 Enterprise Zones over the next four years, using
wew topic
labor and capital-based incentives to create jobs and
44
entrepreneurial activity in our most distressed
communities. In the hardest-hit urban areas, he has
called for a complete elimination of the capital gains
tax on certain investments in enterprise zones.
President Bush also supports housing vouchers that
empower low-income families to choose where they want
to live; and resident ownership and resident management
of low income housing.
-- FHA reforms: The Administration has announced major
reforms to ensure that FHA is true to its primary
mission of making housing affordable for low and
moderate income families.
The President has asked HUD
Put under
Secretary Jack Kemp to convene a Blue Ribbon Commission
first-time
home Guyers
to identify barriers to affordable housing, and to make
recommendations on how these barriers can be removed.
The President charged Secretary Kemp with finding new
ways to move FHA foreclosures into the hands of non-
profit groups to help reduce homelessness to fight
inner city poverty.
-- Homelessness: The President requested full funding of
the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act; and, on November
9, signed a bill that substantially increased funding
for housing programs under the Act. As part of the
HOPE initiative, the President will request $236
million for an initiative to reduce homelessness among
45
the chronically mentally ill and recovering substance
abusers through public-private partnerships.
CHILD CARE
The changing nature of American society heightens the need
for child care that suits both children's needs and families'
circumstances. 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.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Child care: The President transmitted to 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 age four, for low income
working families.
-- Makes the existing Dependent Care Tax Credit
refundable.
-- Does not discriminate against religious- or family-
based child care, or against two-parent families in
which a parent works in the home caring for the
children.
46
The President has directed Secretary of Labor Dole to
examine the role played by liability insurance in employer
decisions on employer-provided child care.
Head Start: The President also challenged Congress to
increase funding for Head Start by $250 million in FY 1990.
would have
This expansion will enabled up to 95,000 more four-year-olds
Congressional action. provided only 151 million
to participate in the program® me 50,000 more than under the of that
lequest.
proposed Congressional appropriation.
which will
allow the head
Start program
AIDS INITIATIVES
to serve up to
37,500. more
eligible 4 alds. year
The President has made combatting AIDS a national priority.
The Administration is moving on a number of fronts to combat the
spread of AIDS.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service: The
Administration developed a toll-free information service
through which AIDS patients and their doctors can get up-to-
date information on clinical trials of AIDS therapies --
whether Federally or privately sponsored.
New Drugs Approved: The Administration approved three new
therapies for treating persons infected with HIV, which for
0
see bullet insert attached on back.
48
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Legislation: In September, the President sent two
legislative proposals to Congress designed to encourage
adoption of special needs children:
-- The first permits adoptive parents to deduct $3000 from
taxable income for adoption-related expenses.
-- The second reimburses Federal employees who adopt up to
$2000 for expenses.
In addition, the President has directed all Federal agencies
to develop plans for supporting and promoting adoption of
special needs children (e.g., flexible leave.)
NATIONAL SERVICE
The President's vision to help overcome the disintegration
of communities and build a better America -- not through a
federal government program, but through a nationwide community
service movement -- has three facets: First, to issue a call to
all individuals and institutions to claim society's problems as
their own; second, to identify, enlarge, and multiply what is
working; and third, to discover and encourage new leaders.
49
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
In a series of speeches, President Bush called on all
Americans and all American institutions, large and small, to
make community service central to their daily life and work.
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 act as a magnet for the best
ideas and brightest programs in community service and then
serve as a catalyst to project these ideas into every corner
of the nation. The Administration will ask Congress for $25
million annually to support this initiative and will, in
turn, seek matching funds from the private sector. The
President has encouraged all communities nationwide to join
the movement by forming local "Points of Light Action
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
implement examples of successful initiatives and
provide training, technical assistance and other
50
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" like
telephone hotlines, interactive computer programs,
electronic bulletin boards and other mechanisms between
those who wish to serve and those needing service in
the inquirer's own community.
-- The President has named a Presidential Commission to
advise him on the legal structure of the Points of
Light Initiative Foundation and the legislation needed
to accomplish the Foundation's goals. The Commission
is scheduled to report to the President in early
December.
-- The Foundation will also discover and encourage and
develop new leaders in the field of community service
by sponsoring workshops, forums, and symposia on
community service leadership development, and by
recognizing new leaders through at least two new
Presidential Awards:
-- The National Service Youth Leadership Awards will
be given each year to individuals.
51
--
The President's Build A Community Awards will
honor those people and institutions who have
worked together to rebuild families or to
revitalize communities.
CIVIL RIGHTS
The Bush Administration is committed to reaching out to
minorities, and to striking down barriers to free and open
access. The President has made it clear that this Administration
will not tolerate discrimination, bigotry, or bias of any kind.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
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.
-- The President called upon Congress to reauthorize the
Commission on Civil Rights. Following Congressional
action, the President signed legislation reauthorizing
the Commission through 1991.
-- The Administration endorsed the Hate Crimes Bill, which
provides for the collection of data about crimes
motivated by race, religion, or ethnicity.
-- On March 13, Attorney General Thornburgh announced the
filing of Federal housing discrimination lawsuits
52
seeking monetary damages and civil penalties under the
expanded enforcement authority of the Fair Housing
Amendments Act of 1988.
Disabled Americans: The President is committed to
legislation that would extend civil rights protections to
disabled Americans. This legislation, called the Americans
with Disabilities Act, would represent the most significant
expansion of federal civil rights laws in the past two
decades. A version of the Act passed the Senate on
September 7, and has been awaiting consideration in the
House since then.
-- The legislation would provide unprecedented protections
against discrimination in the area of employment,
requiring reasonable accommodation be made by employers
for disabled potential employees.
-- Most new buildings would be required to be accessible
to the disabled.
-- Stores, providers of services, restaurants, and other
public accommodations in existing buildings would be
required to serve disabled Americans to the same extent
they serve able Americans.
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
53
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.
WELFARE REFORM
The Administration has implemented 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 final rules on
October 13 to implement the Job Opportunities and Basic
Skills Training Program (JOBS) of the Family Support Act of
1988. The rules are designed to:
54
-- Assist welfare recipients to become self-sufficient by
providing needed employment-related activities and
support services.
-- Provide maximum level of flexibility to AFDC parents in
obtaining the type of child care that best suits their
needs, consistent with the principle of parental choice
embodied in the Administration's legislative proposals
on child care.
3.7/45
-- The Administration is proposing to spend $3.6 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 there will be 138,000 fewer families on the
welfare rolls over five years as a result of this
program.
Low Income Opportunity Board: To continue progress in the
area of welfare reform, the President reinstated this
welfare policy coordinating unit established under President
Reagan as the Interagency Low Income Opportunity Advisory
Board. The Board enhances interagency coordination of
Executive Branch activities designed to lift low-income
Americans up from dependency, and assists States that seek
to demonstrate more effective approaches for using Federal
dollars to serve the low-income population.
55
EXPANSION OF MEDICAID
The President is committed to ensuring quality health care
for disadvantaged mothers and children, the disabled, and poor,
aged Americans. To help achieve this goal, federal spending on
Medicaid will be $39.1 billion for FY 1990, an increase of $4.8
billion, or 12.2 percent over the FY 1989 level.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Expanding Medicaid: President Bush has taken concrete steps
toward improving health care for at-risk populations and
decreasing infant mortality. This year, he asked Congress
to raise mandatory Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women,
infants and children to 130 percent of the poverty level.
Congress took action to raise the eligibility to 133% --
consistent with the President's proposal. In addition, he
requested an expansion of Medicaid coverage of immunizations
for all children under age 6 who are eligible for Food
Stamps.
ETHICS
President Bush is committed to high ethical standards for
his Administration and will enforce these standards strictly,
56
comprehensively, and fairly. The Administration also remains
committed to an overhaul of the existing campaign finance system.
ACTION BY THE ADMINISTRATION:
Ethics Law Reform: The President issued an Executive Order
creating the President's Commission on Federal Ethics Law
Reform, which submitted its recommendations on March 9.
Responding to the Commission's work, the President, on April
12, sent to Congress a sweeping ethics bill and
simultaneously issued an Executive Order announcing ethical
principles for the conduct of executive branch employees.
Recently, Congress, in consultation with the President,
passed an ethics reform measure which included a pay raise
for members of Congress and certain federal officers and
employees. Many of the provisions of that package mirror
the President's original proposals.
-- Strengthened post-employment restrictions -- applicable
for the first time to Congress -- that protect against
individuals abusing the revolving door for private
gain.
-- A ban on receipt of honoraria by all Federal employees
for speeches and articles, and a cap on outside earned
income for higher salaried non-career employees in all
three branches. (As enacted, neither these limits nor
the concomitant salary increase applies to Senators or
57
Senate employees.) Full-time non-career Presidential
appointees in the Executive Branch are prohibited from
receiving any outside earned income.
--
Deferral of tax liability when individuals are required
by the Office of Government Ethics to divest assets in
order to avoid conflicts of interest. The President's
Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform endorsed this
reform and identified divestiture as "the single most
important device" to eliminate conflicts of interest.
--
Establishment of consistent financial disclosure rules
across the three branches of government.
--
Creation of uniform conflict-of-interest rules for
high-level House and Senate staff that prohibit contact
with Executive Branch agencies about matters in which
staff members have personal financial interests.
:
Development of a single Executive-Branch-wide set of
standards of conduct regulations.
Campaign Finance Reform: The President's comprehensive
campaign finance reform proposal is designed to lessen the
power of monied special interests and enhance the role of
individuals and the political parties in elections. It also
seeks to restore real competition to American Congressional
elections. Below are proposal highlights:
--
Eliminating political action committees (PACs) funded
by corporations, unions, or trade associations, and
58
prohibiting such entities from paying for the overhead
or administrative costs of any independent PAC.
-- Strengthening political parties by increasing the
support they are permitted to provide congressional
candidates. Heightened party involvement would enhance
our political system, further neutralize the power and
influence of monied special interests and permit
candidates to spend less time on fundraising and more
time addressing the issues.
-- Addressing the problem of the "permanent Congress" by
reforms designed to reduce the unfair advantages of
incumbency. Specifically, the proposals would
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.
-- Requiring full disclosure of all soft money spent by
the political parties and all labor unions,
corporations, and trade associations to influence a
federal election.
###