[House Document 110-76]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                     

110th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 110-76

 
                       VETO MESSAGE ON H.R. 3043

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THEPRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES

                              transmitting

NOTIFICATION OF THE VETO OF H.R. 3043, THE DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH 
AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS 
                              ACT OF 2008




               November 14, 2007.--Ordered to be printed
To the House of Representatives:
    I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 3043, the 
``Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008.''
    This bill spends too much. It exceeds the reasonable and 
responsible levels for discretionary spending that I proposed 
to balance the budget by 2012. The Congress is on a path to 
spend $205 billion more over the next 5 years than I requested. 
This puts a balanced budget in jeopardy and risks future tax 
increases. This year, the Congress plans to overspend my budget 
by $22 billion, of which $10 billion is for increases in this 
bill. Health care, education, job training, and other goals can 
be achieved without this excessive spending if the Congress 
sets priorities.
    This bill continues to fund programs that are duplicative 
or ineffective. The Congress continues to fund 56 programs 
totaling more than $3.2 billion that I proposed to terminate 
because they are duplicative, narrowly focused, or not 
producing results.
    This bill does not sufficiently fund programs that are 
delivering positive outcomes. For example, Reading First, a 
critical initiative that is demonstrating results, receives a 
61 percent cut, even though low-income students enrolled in 
Reading First schools posted a more than 10-point improvement 
in reading proficiency from 2004 to 2006.
    This bill has too many earmarks. I set out clear goals for 
the Congress to reform the earmarking process. The Congress 
chose not to put earmarks in bill text, instead including 
nearly all in report language, and they did not reach the goal 
of cutting the cost and number of earmarks by at least half. 
This bill contains more than 2,200 earmarks totaling nearly $1 
billion. Congressional earmarks divert Federal taxpayer funds 
to localities without the benefit of a merit-based process, 
resulting in fewer resources for national priorities or 
unnecessary spending above the requested level.
    I urge the Congress to send me a fiscally responsible bill 
that sets priorities. Americans sent us to Washington to 
achieve results and be good stewards of their hard-earned tax 
dollars. Because the legislation violates that commitment, I 
must veto this bill.

                                                    George W. Bush.
    The White House, November 13, 2007.

                                  
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