[House Document 105-329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 105-329


 
                           VETO OF H.R. 1757

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 HIS VETO OF H.R. 1757, A BILL ENTITLED ``STATE DEPARTMENT AND RELATED 
        AGENCIES AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 1998 AND 1999''





   October 21, 1998.--Message and accompanying bill referred to the 
     Committee on International Relations and ordered to be printed


To the House of Representatives:
    I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 1757, the 
``Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998''.
    I take this action for several reasons, most importantly, 
because the Congress has included in this legislation 
unacceptable restrictions on international family planning 
programs and threatened our leadership in the world community 
by tying our payment of dues to the United Nations and other 
international organizations to these unrelated family planning 
issues.
    Current law, with which Administration policy is fully 
consistent, already prohibits the use of Federal funds to pay 
for abortion abroad and for lobbying on abortion issues. This 
bill would go beyond those limits. One provision would deny 
U.S. Government funding for family planning programs carried 
out by foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that use 
their own funds to perform abortions even though the overall 
result of these NGO family planning programs is to reduce the 
incidence of abortion. Although the bill allows the President 
to waive this restriction, use of the waiver would also cripple 
many programs by limiting annual spending for international 
family planning to $356 million, $44 million below the amount 
available for Fiscal Year 1998.
    A second provision would attempt to restrict the free 
speech of foreign NGOs by prohibiting funding for those that 
use their own funds to engage in any activity intended to alter 
the laws of a foreign country either to promote or to deter 
abortion. The bill would even ban drafting and distributing 
material or public statements on abortion. The bill does not 
contain a waiver for this restriction.
    These restrictions and the funding limit would severely 
jeopardize the ability of the United States to meet the growing 
demand for family planning and other critical health services 
in developing countries. By denying funding to organizations 
that offer a wide range of safe and effective family planning 
services, the bill would increase unwanted pregnancies and lead 
to more abortions than would otherwise be the case.
    I am also deeply concerned that the Congress has 
effectively tied these unacceptable restrictions on 
international family planning to payment of legitimate U.S. 
arrears to the United Nations and other international 
organizations. A strong United Nations, with the United States 
playing a leadership role, is in our national interest. Payment 
of our dues to the United Nations is essential to our ability 
to lead. There are strongly held beliefs on both sides of the 
debate over international population policy. These issues ought 
to be considered separately on their own merits; they should 
not be permitted to hinder U.S. obligations to the world 
community.
    The package authorizing arrears payments linked to U.N. 
reforms was the result of good-faith negotiations between my 
Administration and the Congress more than a year and a half 
ago. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, some of these 
conditions are now outdated and are no longer achievable. In 
particular, the fact that the U.N. has concluded negotiations 
on assessment rates for the next 3 years has significantly 
decreased our ability to negotiate a limitation on the U.S. 
assessed share of the U.N. regular budget below 22 percent. 
Furthermore, the increase in contested arrears during this 
period requires that the United States have additional 
flexibility in obtaining a contested arrears account. While 
many of the U.N. reform benchmarks in the package remain 
acceptable, significant revisions are required, and I look 
forward to working with the Congress next year to secure the 
payment of our arrears and an achievable package of U.N. 
reforms.
    The Bill contains important and carefully negotiated 
authority to reorganize the foreign affairs agencies and other 
basic authorities for these agencies. Many of these provisions 
were supported by my Administration, and I am pleased that they 
have been included in the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 1999.
    For the foregoing reasons, I am compelled to return H.R. 
1757 without my approval.

                                                William J. Clinton.
    The White House, October 21, 1998.



  One Hundred Fifth Congress of the United States of America, at the 
 Second Session, Begun and Held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 
   the Twenty-seventh Day of January, One Thousand Nine Hundred and 
                              Ninety-eight





                                
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