[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[February 6, 1991]
[Pages 112-113]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Signing the Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1991 and the 
Agent Orange Act of 1991

February 6, 1991

    Good morning. It's a pleasure once again to have so many familiar
faces here today representing our veterans. And of course, it's a 
pleasure to be standing up here with one of the great members of our 
Cabinet, Ed Derwinski. I see so many Members of Congress--five special 
ones here who were instrumental in the passage of this legislation: 
Congressmen Sonny Montgomery, Bob Stump; Senator Specter, Senator 
Murkowski, and Senator Bob Graham.
    From Midway to Normandy, from Inchon to Khe Sanh to last week's 
battle at Khafji, American marines, soldiers, airmen, sailors, 
coastguardsmen have given their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred 
honor to keep freedom safe. American men and women are fighting for 
peace today, as we did then, because America must lead in deterring and 
defeating aggression. And we're here today to ensure that our nation 
will ever remember those who defended her: the men and women who stood 
where duty required them to stand.
    It's my honor today to sign into law two bills which give veterans 
and their families the compensation that they deserve. The first is H.R. 
3, and it provides for a 1991 cost-of-living adjustment. And the second, 
H.R. 556, codifies our administration's regulations for compensation for 
three diseases. It also relies on independent science, with the help of 
the National Academy of Sciences, to settle the troubling question 
concerning the effects on veterans of exposure to herbicides used during 
the Vietnam war. This is a continuation of our policy over the past 2 
years to deal with this very complex and very divisive issue, but to 
deal with it in a fair and compassionate way.
    And I want to salute those who ensured that, in the end, a 
bipartisan spirit prevailed to pass these important pieces of 
legislation. These two bills meet the critical needs of our veterans and 
will build the confidence of tomorrow's veterans that they and their 
loved ones will not be forgotten.
    A grateful nation salutes our veterans for the difference they have 
made in the history of this country and, indeed, of the world. Our 
allied forces are sacrificing much today in the pursuit of peace for 
tomorrow. And the American people, I believe, are behind them 
foursquare. And I think everyone in this room is as proud of them--I 
know ev-

[[Page 113]]

eryone in this room is as proud of them as I am. Each and every one has 
volunteered to serve, and they're standing against a dictator whose 
brutality reminds us every single day that he must be stopped. The brave 
men and women of Desert Storm know when the forces of aggression arise, 
America stands ready to do the hard work of freedom.
    And so, I am very proud and pleased to be able to sign this 
legislation today. I'd like to ask these five Members of Congress who 
are with us to join Secretary Derwinski and me as we sign these bills 
into law. But I want to thank everybody here who was instrumental in the 
passage of these important pieces of legislation because I know that 
many out in the audience deserve great credit for this.
    Thank you so much, and now let's sign this legislation.

[At this point, the President signed the bills.]

    Got it done; that's great. It's good to see all of you. Thanks for 
coming by, and now we'll go about our work here.
    Things are doing darned well over there, too, I might add. I know 
there's a lot of interest in all of this, and I am very confident that 
we're on schedule, and there have been no surprises on our side; I think 
a few on his.
    But the Air Force has been doing a good job; the Navy; obviously, 
the Marines have been engaged; and of course the Army, ready under a 
couple of superb commanders. So, to you who have shown the support and 
interest, I just want you to know I feel very confident that this matter 
is going to resolve itself, and it's not going to take that long, and it 
is going to be total and complete.
    And one of the things that I take great pride in and I think 
everybody here understands is that we've not second-guessing. I know 
what my obligations are as Commander in Chief, and I also have enough 
confidence in those people out there in the desert, from General 
Schwarzkopf on down, and those people across the river in the Pentagon--
Cheney and Powell, particularly--that they will make the tactical calls. 
And I'm perfectly prepared, as I said yesterday, to make whatever tough 
calls might lie ahead. But we've not going to be second-guessing. And 
once again, we're not going to have these courageous young men and women 
over there fighting with some kind of a limited agenda, fighting with 
their hands tied behind their back. We went through that, and we're 
never going to do it again as far as I'm concerned.
    Thank you all very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:15 a.m. in the 
                        Roosevelt Room at the White House. In his 
                        remarks, he referred to Secretary of Veterans 
                        Affairs Edward J. Derwinski; Representatives 
                        G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery and Bob Stump; Senators 
                        Arlen Specter, Frank H. Murkowski, and Bob 
                        Graham; Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of 
                        the U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf; Secretary 
                        of Defense Dick Cheney; and Gen. Colin L. 
                        Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 
                        H.R. 3, approved February 6, was assigned Public 
                        Law No. 102-3. H.R. 556, approved February 6, 
                        was assigned Public Law No. 102-4.