[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
[May 21, 1999]
[Pages 826-827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Statement on Signing the 1999 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act
May 21, 1999
Today I have signed into law H.R. 1141, the ``1999 Emergency
Supplemental Appropriations Act'' providing the emergency resources I
requested to support our mission in Kosovo, to assist the victims of
Hurricane Mitch, and to provide relief to our farmers. I welcome the
Congress support for our continuing military efforts in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. This important supplemental appropriation to
fund the continuation of our military operations sends a clear signal to
the Milosevic regime that the Congress
and people of the United States are committed to the NATO efforts in
Operation Allied Force.
We and our allies have been very clear about what
Milosevic must do. The refugees must go
home, with security and self government. For that to happen, Serbian
forces must leave Kosovo and an international security force with NATO
at its core must deploy to protect innocent people of every ethnicity
and faith.
By providing the resources I requested for the Department of
Defense, this bill will keep our military readiness strong. At the same
time it includes resources critical to helping the international
community and the frontline countries of Southeast Europe to 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. The bill also provides resources for victims of natural
disasters at home and for our farmers in distress due to depressed crop
prices.
I am pleased that the bill repeals a provision of law that had
threatened to interrupt funding for the Departments of Commerce,
Justice, State, and other agencies. In addition to removing this funding
restriction, the bill provides the added resources needed to continue
preparations for a decennial census. My Administration will work with
the Congress to ensure that next year the Census Bureau has the funding
needed to conduct the most accurate census possible.
While I also am pleased that the 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 attached unnecessary and ill-advised special
projects onto basic, essential emergency legislation. Were it not for
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. The Congress should not permit, and I will not
tolerate, special interest meddling as we complete the annual budget
process.
This bill does show significant improvement over earlier versions.
Gone are proposed cuts
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that weakened anti-terrorism programs, especially embassy security
upgrades; threatened to undermine global economic stability by denying
U.S. funds to multi- lateral development banks; and imperiled the
Government's ability to continue fixing its computers for the Year 2000.
The 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.
Congress should not have used this bill as a vehicle for a range of
special interest provisions harmful to the environment and to the
careful stewardship of our Nation's natural resources. Several highly
objectionable provisions remain in the 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 the 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. I
want to be clear that were it not for the truly emergency needs to which
this bill responds, I would reject these environmental riders. I call on
the 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, I am fully
prepared to do so again.
I am extremely disappointed that the Congress failed to require
States to use even a portion of the funds collected from the tobacco
companies 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. This bill represents a missed
opportunity by the Congress to protect our children from the death and
disease caused by tobacco. This is wrong. I will closely monitor State
efforts in this area, and I will continue to fight for a nationwide
effort to reduce youth smoking through counteradvertising, prevention
activities, and restrictions on youth access to tobacco products.
I hereby designate the following amounts as emergency requirements
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended:
Department of Defense
Military Personnel, Reserve Personnel, Army: $2,900,000
Military Personnel, National Guard Personnel, Army:
$6,000,000
Military Personnel, National Guard Personnel, Air Force:
$1,000,000
Operation and Maintenance, Operation and Maintenance, Army:
$50,000,000
Operation and Maintenance, Operation and Maintenance, Navy:
$13,900,000
Operation and Maintenance, Operation and Maintenance, Marine
Corps: $300,000
Operation and Maintenance, Operation and Maintenance, Air
Force: $8,800,000
Operation and Maintenance, Operation and Maintenance,
Defense-Wide: $21,000,000
Operation and Maintenance, Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster,
and Civic Aid: $37,500,000
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Disaster Relief: $372,000,000
William J. Clinton
The White House,
May 21, 1999.
Note: H.R. 1141, approved May 21, was assigned Public Law No. 106-31.