    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [June 23, 1998]
    [Page 1026]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on House of Representatives Action on Departments of Labor,
    Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Legislation
    June 23, 1998

        I am deeply disappointed in the action taken within the House
    Appropriations Committee today. Returning to the partisanship of the
    past, House Republicans backed a bill that would take us backwards just
    when we should be addressing the challenges of the next century.
        Last year we made critical investments in every stage of our
    children's lives in a bipartisan balanced budget. From Head Start
    expansion to new tax credits that make college more affordable, we
    worked together to make smart investments in our people and our future.
    To build on that success, this year I proposed commonsense investments
    to reduce class size, modernize America's schools, and make quality
    child care more affordable.
        Working together, we can continue to move the Nation forward. But
    the House Republican bill takes us in the wrong direction, short-
    changing critical investments in our young people--from preschool and
    child care to antidrug and safe after-school programs. These cuts are
    arbitrary, and some are extreme. This bill would completely eliminate
    the summer jobs program, denying more than one-half million teenagers
    valuable work experience. It would slow progress on our efforts to
    improve children's literacy and computer skills. And for poor families,
    the Republicans would eliminate the program that they rely on to help
    them heat their homes during the winter. This bill is out of step with
    our values and the wrong vision for America's future.