    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [September 30, 1994]
    [Pages 1672-1673]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government
    Appropriations Act, 1995
    September 30, 1994

        Today I have signed into law H.R. 4539, the ``Treasury, Postal
    Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1995.''
        The Act provides a total of $11.6 billion in discretionary budget
    authority for various programs in the Department of the Treasury, the
    U.S. Postal Service, the General Services Administration, the Office of
    Personnel Management, the Executive Office of the President, and several
    smaller agencies.
        I am pleased that the Act appropriates $39 million from the Violent
    Crime Reduction Trust Fund to several Treasury agencies to fight crime
    and promote gang resistance programs.
        The Act also provides important funding for the United States
    Customs Service to support the commitments made to enhance the
    enforcement of trade laws and regulations related to NAFTA. This
    initiative remains an Administration priority.
        This Act funds the IRS tax compliance initiative, which is essential
    in ensuring that everyone pays his or her fair share of their Federal
    taxes. This initiative is expected to have deficit-reducing potential by
    strengthening audit and debt collection activities, thereby generating
    additional revenue without raising taxes.
        Several other provisions in H.R. 4539 condition the President's
    authority--and the authority of certain agency officials--to use funds
    appropriated by this Act on the approval of congressional committees.
    The Administration will interpret such provisions to require
    notification only, since any other interpretation of such provisos would
    contradict the Supreme Court ruling in INS vs. Chadha.
        Regrettably, the Congress has continued its past practice of
    including personnel floors and other restrictions in several of the
    Treasury agencies funded by the enrolled bill. Such measures run counter
    to our efforts to reduce the

    [[Page 1673]]

    number of Federal employees, as recommended by the National Performance
    Review and mandated in the Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994.
    These restrictions would exclude over 20,000 Treasury employees from
    reduction, thereby imposing a greater burden on other agencies. While we
    have made a start on deficit reduction, we cannot fully achieve our
    goals without making reductions in the Federal workforce, fairly
    apportioned among all departments and agencies.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,
    September 30, 1994.

    Note: H.R. 4539, approved September 30, was assigned Public Law No. 103-
    329. This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    October 1.