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    "label": "American Business Clubs, Spartanburg, SC, September 15, 1973",
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    "id": "4526509",
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    "title": "American Business Clubs, Spartanburg, SC, September 15, 1973",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526509",
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        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D35, folder \"American Business Clubs,\nSpartanburg, SC, September 15, 1973\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary\nand Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDistribution: 20capies u/F only\nM OFFICE COPY\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6 P.M. SATURDAY--\nSeptember 15, 1973\nExcerpts from a speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford, House Republican Leader, before a\nregional meeting of American Business Clubs, at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, 1973,\nat the Sheraton Motor Inn, at Spartansburg, S.C.\nSomething exceedingly good for the country may be happening in Washington.\nThe Congress may be turning away from confrontation with the President to\ncooperation with him.\nThis is a development fervently to be desired, because it is the spirit of\nconfrontation exhibited by the Congress which has produced stalemate of late in this\ncountry--far more SO than any actions taken by the so-called Watergate Committee.\nThere is a burning need at present to put partisanship behind us and to\ndedicate ourselves to the welfare of all the people.\nThere is a need, too, for honesty and accuracy on the part of the news media\nif this country is to move forward.\nIt was not helpful, for instance, for the gentlemen of the press to quote\nthe President as saying Congress's record to date has been \"very disappointing\"\nwhen the President was talking only about Congress's handling of Administration\nlegislation.\nThe press created a new basis for hostility between the President and the\nCongress by its treatment of the President's press conference remarks of Sept. 5\nwhen in actuality the President was simply holding out an olive branch and a\nchallenge to the Congress.\nThe Congress does have a respectable record to date--except on Presidential\ninitiatives. The President cited this record in his State of the Union Message of\nSept. 10. He noted that the Congress has enacted a new-approach farm bill, a\nground-breaking Federal highway bill, an increase in Social Security benefits,\nairport development legislation, amendments to the Rural Electrification Act, the\nEconomic Development Administration and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration\nauthorizations, an Older Americans bill, an emergency farm loan bill, a national\ncemeteries bill, and a medical care bill for veterans.\nHe also pointed out, however--and every word he spoke hit the mark-that the\nCongress has much to do before it adjourns if it is to write a truly outstanding\n(more)\nDigitized from Box D35 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nPage 2\nlegislative record this year. At the same time, the President pledged to work\nclosely with members of Congress to reach the compromises which must be hammered\nout if major legislation is to become law.\nIt does not detract from congressional accomplishments to date to emphasize\nthat much remains to be done.\nOur first goal must be a balanced budget. This is the major contribution\nthat Congress can make toward the fight against inflation. Every dollar of deficit\nspending weakens us in the anti-inflation fight. Yet Congress has already enacted\nprograms which would exceed the President's budget by $2 billion and is considering\nadditional legislation which would add another $4 billion in deficit spending if\npassed.\nSome members of Congress would pad domestic spending and chop the defense\nbudget to make up for it. I am adamantly opposed to slashing defense spending. I\nwill support judicious cuts in military outlays, but to take a meat-axe to the\ndefense budget is to endanger our national security. It would profit us not at\nall to expand our human resource programs if at the same time we exposed our\nnation's heart to a fatal thrust.\nWe must keep our nation militarily strong and we must strengthen our economy.\nAnd to build the sinews of our economy we must pass sound trade reform legislation,\nimpose controls on exports of food and other products where necessary, and provide\nauthority for selling those materials in our national stockpile which are no longer\nneeded for national security. Tax reform is another concern--a concern which\ndemands that we provide older Americans with property tax relief.\nAnother matter of top priority is the energy crisis. We must act swiftly\nto get the Alaskan pipeline project moving, pass legislation to facilitate\nconstruction of deepwater ports capable of off-loading large oil tankers, deregulate\nnatural gas, lay down reclamation standards which make possible expanded coal\nmining, and reorganize the Federal energy effort under a new, independent Energy\nResearch and Development Administration. We must also encourage the establishment\nof nuclear power plants by streamlining power plant siting procedures while fully\nprotecting the public safety and environment.\nHuman resource needs demand our attention. There must be fresh new\napproaches to problems in the fields of education, housing, welfare administration,\nmanpower training, pensions and health care.\nThe Administration's proposals in these areas are worthy of the closest\npossible scrutiny and should not be ignored. They hold the promise of progress\ntoward better schools and better communities. They are building blocks in the\nfashioning of a better America. Congress would do well to work with the\nAdministration in the human resource areas--and abandon the tactics of\nconfrontation which sullied its performance earlier this year.\n#\n20 Copies u/F only\nO OFFICE COPY\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6 P.M. SATURDAY-\nSeptember 15, 1973\nExcerpts from a speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford, House Republican Leader, before a\nregional meeting of American Business Clubs, at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, 1973,\nat the Sheraton Motor Inn, at Spartansburg, S.C.\nSomething exceedingly good for the country may be happening in Washington.\nThe Congress may be turning away from confrontation with the President to\ncooperation with him.\nThis is a development fervently to be desired, because it is the spirit of\nconfrontation exhibited by the Congress which has produced stalemate of late in this\ncountry--far more so than any actions taken by the so-called Watergate Committee.\nThere is a burning need at present to put partisanship behind us and to\ndedicate ourselves to the welfare of all the people.\nThere is a need, too, for honesty and accuracy on the part of the news media\nif this country is to move forward.\nIt was not helpful, for instance, for the gentlemen of the press to quote\nthe President as saying Congress's record to date has been \"very disappointing\"\nwhen the President was talking only about Congress's handling of Administration\nlegislation.\nThe press created a new basis for hostility between the President and the\nCongress by its treatment of the President's press conference remarks of Sept. 5\nwhen in actuality the President was simply holding out an olive branch and a\nchallenge to the Congress.\nThe Congress does have a respectable record to date--except on Presidential\ninitiatives. The President cited this record in his State of the Union Message of\nSept. 10. He noted that the Congress has enacted a new-approach farm bill, a\nground-breaking Federal highway bill, an increase in Social Security benefits,\nairport development legislation, amendments to the Rural Electrification Act, the\nEconomic Development Administration and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration\nauthorizations, an Older Americans bill, an emergency farm loan bill, a national\ncemeteries bill, and a medical care bill for veterans.\nHe also pointed out, however--and every word he spoke hit the mark-that the\nCongress has much to do before it adjourns if it is to write a truly outstanding\n(more)\nPage 2\nlegislative record this year. At the same time, the President pledged to work\nclosely with members of Congress to reach the compromises which must be hammered\nout if major legislation is to become law.\nIt does not detract from congressional accomplishments to date to emphasize\nthat much remains to be done.\nOur first goal must be a balanced budget. This is the major contribution\nthat Congress can make toward the fight against inflation. Every dollar of deficit\nspending weakens us in the anti-inflation fight. Yet Congress has already enacted\nprograms which would exceed the President's budget by $2 billion and is considering\nadditional legislation which would add another $4 billion in deficit spending if\npassed.\nSome members of Congress would pad domestic spending and chop the defense\nbudget to make up for it. I am adamantly opposed to slashing defense spending. I\nwill support judicious cuts in military outlays, but to take a meat-axe to the\ndefense budget is to endanger our national security. It would profit us not at\nall to expand our human resource programs if at the same time we exposed our\nnation's heart to a fatal thrust.\nWe must keep our nation militarily strong and we must strengthen our economy.\nAnd to build the sinews of our economy we must pass sound trade reform legislation,\nimpose controls on exports of food and other products where necessary, and provide\nauthority for selling those materials in our national stockpile which are no longer\nneeded for national security. Tax reform is another concern--a concern which\ndemands that we provide older Americans with property tax relief.\nAnother matter of top priority is the energy crisis. We must act swiftly\nto get the Alaskan pipeline project moving, pass legislation to facilitate\nconstruction of deepwater ports capable of off-loading large oil tankers, deregulate\nnatural gas, lay down reclamation standards which make possible expanded coal\nmining, and reorganize the Federal energy effort under a new, independent Energy\nResearch and Development Administration. We must also encourage the establishment\nof nuclear power plants by streamlining power plant siting procedures while fully\nprotecting the public safety and environment.\nHuman resource needs demand our attention. There must be fresh new\napproaches to problems in the fields of education, housing, welfare administration,\nmanpower training, pensions and health care.\nThe Administration's proposals in these areas are worthy of the closest\npossible scrutiny and should not be ignored. They hold the promise of progress\ntoward better schools and better communities. They are building blocks in the\nfashioning of a better America. Congress would do well to work with the\nAdministration in the human resource areas--and abandon the tactics of\nconfrontation which sullied its performance earlier this year.\n#"
}