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VA HUD 10/20/99 [2]
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VA HUD 10/20/99 [2]
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Records of the Office of Speechwriting (Clinton Administration)
James (Terry) Edmonds' Files
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FOIA Number: 2006-0462-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting
Series/Staff Member:
Terry Edmonds
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
17509
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Folder Title:
VA HUD 10/20/99 [2]
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DRAFT
MESSAGE FRAMEWORK / APPROPRIATIONS ENDGAME
The President is committed to keeping the country on the path of prosperity through fiscal
discipline and investments in our nation's future. In the coming days, the President will fight for
a final budget that reflects these priorities:
Strengthening Education
Reducing class size by hiring 100,000 qualified teachers
Installing computers in classrooms to prepare students for the 21st Century
Investing in after school programs to keep kids safe
Strengthening accountability in our schools to ensure results
Expanding Headstart to ensure that children start school ready to learn
Fighting Crime
Making neighborhoods safer by putting 50,000 more cops on the beat, and getting guns off
the street
Protecting our Environment
Rejecting anti-environmental "riders" that serve special interests rather than national
interests.
Preserving and protecting our nation's treasured landscapes
Protecting our communities' quality of life and managing urban sprawl
[Helping Americans When Disaster Strikes]
Providing important funding to help victims of natural disasters - including Hurricane Floyd
- rebuild their lives
[National Security]
Preserving America's leadership position around the world
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt.
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. First and
foremost, we must protect Social Security and strengthen
Medicare with a prescription drug benefit. I have a plan
that does that - without dipping into the Social Security
surplus.
6
I believe those priorities must also include making sure
the largest and most diverse student body in our history
has the world-class education they need for the 21st
century. That includes reducing class size by hiring
100,000 qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000
schools, connecting every classroom to the Internet,
investing in afterschool programs to keep our kids safe,
and demanding accountability so we can turn around
failing schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods.
7
And it means putting our differences aside to honor our
commitment to our environment, our natural landscape
and our national security.
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt..
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to reach agreement on our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. I believe those
priorities include making sure the largest and most diverse
student body in our history has the world-class education
they need for the 21st century.
6
That includes reducing class size by hiring 100,000
qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000 schools,
connecting every classroom to the Internet, investing in
afterschool programs to keep our kids safe, and
demanding accountability so we can turn around failing
schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods. And it means putting our
differences aside to honor our commitment to our
environment, our natural landscape and our national
security.
7
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt..
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to reach agreement on our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. I believe those
priorities include making sure the largest and most diverse
student body in our history has the world-class education
they need for the 21st century.
6
That includes reducing class size by hiring 100,000
qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000 schools,
connecting every classroom to the Internet, investing in
afterschool programs to keep our kids safe, and
demanding accountability so we can turn around failing
schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods. And it means putting our
differences aside to honor our commitment to our
environment, our natural landscape and our national
security.
7
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt..
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to reach agreement on our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. I believe those
priorities include making sure the largest and most diverse
student body in our history has the world-class education
they need for the 21st century.
6
That includes reducing class size by hiring 100,000
qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000 schools,
connecting every classroom to the Internet, investing in
afterschool programs to keep our kids safe, and
demanding accountability so we can turn around failing
schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods. And it means putting our
differences aside to honor our commitment to our
environment, our natural landscape and our national
security.
7
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt..
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to reach agreement on our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. I believe those
priorities include making sure the largest and most diverse
student body in our history has the world-class education
they need for the 21st century.
6
That includes reducing class size by hiring 100,000
qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000 schools,
connecting every classroom to the Internet, investing in
afterschool programs to keep our kids safe, and
demanding accountability so we can turn around failing
schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods. And it means putting our
differences aside to honor our commitment to our
environment, our natural landscape and our national
security.
7
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt..
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to reach agreement on our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. I believe those
priorities include making sure the largest and most diverse
student body in our history has the world-class education
they need for the 21ˢᵗ century.
6
That includes reducing class size by hiring 100,000
qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000 schools,
connecting every classroom to the Internet, investing in
afterschool programs to keep our kids safe, and
demanding accountability so we can turn around failing
schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods. And it means putting our
differences aside to honor our commitment to our
environment, our natural landscape and our national
security.
7
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt..
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to reach agreement on our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. I believe those
priorities include making sure the largest and most diverse
student body in our history has the world-class education
they need for the 21ˢᵗ century.
6
That includes reducing class size by hiring 100,000
qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000 schools,
connecting every classroom to the Internet, investing in
afterschool programs to keep our kids safe, and
demanding accountability so we can turn around failing
schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods. And it means putting our
differences aside to honor our commitment to our
environment, our natural landscape and our national
security.
7
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8
Final 10/20/99 11:15am
Glastris/Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT VA/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL
SIGNING
OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
October 20, 1999
Acknowledgements: Sens. Stevens, Byrd, Bond,
Mikulski. Reps. Young, Obey, Walsh, Mollohan. Secs.
Cuomo, West. Admin. Colwell, Golden. Director Witt..
For over 200 years, Presidents have been called upon
to approve, or not approve, spending bills sent to them by
Congress. Because these bills can profoundly affect the
future of the nation, Presidents must weigh carefully their
decisions about signing them. In the six-and-a-half years
I have occupied this office, I have put my signature on
spending bills only when convinced that they reflected the
values the American people, respected the need for
government to live within its means, and looked towards
the future.
1
I believe that the VA/HUD bill that I am about to
sign meets these criteria. It not only maintains the fiscal
discipline that has led us to this unprecedented period of
prosperity, it also honors our highest values.
We value fairness and work. This bill reflects that by
strengthening fair housing enforcement and by providing
housing vouchers to help 60,000 more hard-working low-
income families move closer to where the jobs are. It also
provides significant increases in housing for elderly
Americans and puts in place a plan to ensure that they
will continue to have safe, affordable places to live.
2
We value opportunity. This bill expands opportunity
to those who have not yet felt the full benefits of our
economic prosperity. It maintains our commitments to
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, while
adding part of my New Markets initiative, to give
investors the same incentives to invest in our inner cities
and poor rural areas that they currently get to invest in
new markets overseas.
We value clean air and clean water. This bill
provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the
resources it needs to protect our air and water.
3
We value our fighting men and women. And thanks
to the leadership of the Vice President, and the
commitment of this Congress, this bill adds the extra
resources necessary to improve veterans health care.
We value strong communities. This bill will help
young people continue to serve their communities through
AmeriCorps. It also provides adequate funding to help
communities cope with hurricanes and other unforeseen
natural disasters.
4
This bill also looks to the future. It gives NASA the
resources it needs to probe the mysteries of space, and
provides the National Science Foundation the extra
resources it needs to fund research on the frontiers of
information technology.
This legislation is important not just for what it will
achieve, but for how it was achieved. I am pleased that
my Administration and the Congress were able to work
together successfully on this bill - in a spirit of bipartisan
cooperation - to resolve our respective differences.
Together, we produced legislation that is fully paid for
and effectively addresses critical needs of the American
people.
5
We are especially pleased that we were able to achieve
acceptable funding levels in a number of areas by
providing offsets that were agreed on by both sides.
Last night, I met with congressional leaders from
both parties. We agreed to work together in that same
spirit to resolve our differences and make the tough
choices necessary to reach agreement on our other
outstanding values and budget priorities. I believe those
priorities include making sure the largest and most diverse
student body in our history has the world-class education
they need for the 21st century.
6
That includes reducing class size by hiring 100,000
qualified teachers, building or modernizing 6,000 schools,
connecting every classroom to the Internet, investing in
afterschool programs to keep our kids safe, and
demanding accountability so we can turn around failing
schools.
We must also work together to keep the crime rate
going down. That means doing more of what we know
works -- putting 50,000 more community police officers
in our neighborhoods. And it means putting our
differences aside to honor our commitment to our
environment, our natural landscape and our national
security.
7
We can make this fall a real season of progress, if we
work together to pass a budget that lives within its means
while living up to our values.
America will be stronger in the 21st Century because
of what we have achieved here today. I hope that this bill
will be a prelude to greater progress on in the days ahead.
Thank you.
8