[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
[July 26, 1995]
[Pages 1151-1152]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Proposed Foreign Relations Legislation
July 26, 1995

    Congress is now considering legislation--S. 908, ``The Foreign 
Relations Revitalization Act of 1995''--that would undermine the 
President's authority to conduct our Nation's foreign policy and deny us 
the resources we need to lead in the world. If this legislation comes to 
my desk in its present form, I will veto it.
    S. 908 attacks the President's constitutional authority to conduct 
America's foreign policy. No President, Democrat or Republican, could 
accept these restrictions because they threaten the President's ability 
to protect and promote American interests around the world.
    The legislation would ban or severely restrict diplomatic relations 
with key countries. Indeed, had it been in effect a few months ago, it 
would have prevented us from concluding the agreement with North Korea 
to dismantle its nuclear program. The legislation would handcuff our 
ability to take part in and lead United Nations operations, limiting our 
choice each time a crisis arose to acting alone or not at all. The 
legislation would abolish three important agencies, the Arms Control and 
Disarmament Agency, the Agency for International Development, and the 
U.S. Information Agency. Each is already making serious and successful 
efforts to streamline its operations, as part of my administration's 
reinventing Government program. Eliminating them entirely would 
undermine our effectiveness, not enhance it.
    In short, the legislation would put Congress in the business of 
micromanaging our Nation's foreign policy, a business it should not be 
in.
    This legislation combined with S. 961, ``The Foreign Aid Reduction 
Act of 1995,'' would also slash our international affairs budget, which 
already is only a little over 1.3 percent of our total Federal budget. 
We use these funds to fight the spread of nuclear weapons and 
technology; to combat terrorists, drug traffickers, and international 
criminals; to create American jobs by opening new markets for our 
exports; and to support the forces of peace, democracy, and

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human rights around the world who look to America for leadership.
    The proposed cuts in the international affairs budget are dangerous 
and shortsighted. We know from experience that it is a lot less costly, 
in terms of money spent and lives lost, to rely on development aid and 
diplomacy now than it is to send in our troops later. There is a price 
to be paid for American leadership. But the return on our investment, in 
terms of increased security and greater prosperity for the American 
people, more than makes up for the cost. What America cannot afford are 
the foreign affairs budget cuts proposed in these bills.
    As I have made clear before, I want to work with Congress to get an 
international affairs bill I can sign, a bill that protects the 
President's authority to conduct foreign policy, maintains vital 
resources, and reflects a bipartisan spirit that serves America's 
interests. The legislation Congress is considering fails each of those 
tests. If it is sent to me as it now stands, I will veto it.