[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
[May 20, 1999]
[Pages 823-824]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Senate Action on 1999 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations 
Legislation
May 20, 1999

    Today the Senate approved the emergency resources I requested to 
support our mission in Kosovo. Congressional support for this mission 
means our military forces can sustain the air campaign until we prevail. 
It sends a clear signal to the Milosevic 
regime that the Congress and the American people are committed to this 
mission. And the resources I requested for the Defense Department will 
keep our military readiness strong.
    At the same time, the bill includes resources critical to helping 
the international community and the frontline countries of southeast 
Europe cope with the massive humanitarian crisis and other immediate 
spillover effects of the conflict and Milosevic's brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing.
    This emergency funding package will also provide urgently needed 
resources to help Central Americans repair and rebuild after the 
devastation of Hurricane Mitch. With these funds, farmers can plant new 
crops in the final weeks of the growing season; roads, hospitals, and 
schools can be rebuilt; and Central Americans can look to the future 
with hope, knowing that America is standing with them. The legislation 
will support the improving prospects for peace in the Middle East by 
providing additional assistance to strengthen Jordan's economy and 
security. This emergency funding also provides resources for victims of 
natural disasters at home, and for our farmers in distress due to 
depressed crop prices.
    While I am pleased that Congress has finally acted to fund our 
mission in the Balkans, to support the Middle East peace process, and to 
help American farmers and the victims of Hurricane Mitch, it is 
unfortunate that Members tacked unnecessary and ill-advised special 
projects onto essential emergency legislation.

[[Page 824]]

Were it not for the pressing needs in Kosovo, Central America, the 
Middle East, and America's heartland, I would have rejected several of 
these measures that reward special interests, weaken environmental 
protection, and undermine our campaign to stop teen smoking. This is no 
way to do the people's business, and I will not tolerate this kind of 
special interest meddling as we complete the annual budget process.
    This final legislation does show significant improvement upon 
Congress's earlier versions. Gone are the Congress's proposed cuts that 
weakened anti-terrorism programs, especially Embassy security upgrades; 
that threatened to undermine global economic stability by denying U.S. 
funds to multilateral development banks; and that imperiled the 
Government's ability to continue fixing its computers for the year 2000. 
Congress also removed or modified certain objectionable riders that, for 
example, would have blocked our efforts to protect the sensitive waters 
in Alaska's Glacier Bay, and weakened the Endangered Species Act.
    It is a mistake for Congress to use this bill as a vehicle for a 
range of special interest provisions harmful to the environment and to 
the prudent stewardship of our Nation's natural resources. Several 
highly objectionable provisions remain in the final bill. For example, 
there are provisions that undermine our ability to ensure that mining on 
Federal lands is done in an environmentally responsible manner. And by 
extending a moratorium on the Department of Interior's proposed oil 
valuation rules, the Congress is preventing the collection of fair 
royalty payments from the oil companies that extract oil from public 
lands. Again, I want to be clear that, were it not for the truly 
emergency needs to which this bill responds, I would be rejecting these 
environmental riders. I call on Congress to end these stealth attempts 
to weaken environmental and public health protections. I have vetoed 
bills in the past because they contained anti-environmental riders and, 
if necessary, am fully prepared to do so again.
    Finally, Congress passed up an important opportunity to protect our 
children from the death and diseases caused by tobacco. This is wrong. I 
am also extremely disappointed that the Congress acted against 
recoupment of funds collected by the States from tobacco manufacturers 
and does not require States to use even a portion of those funds to 
prevent youth smoking. Even though 3,000 young people become regular 
smokers every day and 1,000 will have their lives cut short as a result, 
most States still have no plans to use tobacco settlement funds to 
reduce youth smoking. I will closely monitor State efforts in this area, 
and I will continue to fight for a nationwide effort to reduce youth 
smoking through counter-advertising, prevention activities, and 
restrictions on youth access to tobacco products.