    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [August 17, 1999]
    [Page 1454]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1454]]

    Statement on Signing the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 2000
    August 17, 1999

        Today I have signed into law H.R. 2465, the ``Military Construction
    Appropriations Act, 2000,'' which provides funding for military
    construction and family housing programs of the Department of Defense
    (DOD).
        The Act funds the vast majority of my request for military
    construction projects, the military housing program, and other quality-
    of-life projects for our military personnel and their families. The
    requested projects are critical to supporting military readiness and the
    quality of life of our soldiers and their families. However, I have
    several concerns with the bill:
        For the second consecutive year, the Congress has not
                provided the requested level of construction funding for the
                Chemical Weapons Demilitarization program. This year's
                reduction of $93 million to my request substantially
                increases the risk that the United States will not meet the
                2007 Chemical Weapons Convention deadline for the
                destruction of these chemical weapons. The sooner these
                weapons are destroyed, the safer we will all be.
        The Congress has chosen to add funds for projects that DOD
                has not identified as priorities. In particular, $301
                million is provided for 40 projects that are not in DOD's
                Future Years Defense Program (FYDP).
        The Congress has again included a provision (section 113)
                that requires the Secretary of Defense to give 30 days
                advance notice to certain congressional committees of any
                proposed military exercise involving construction costs
                anticipated to exceed $100,000. In approving H.R. 2465, I
                wish to reiterate an understanding, expressed by Presidents
                Reagan and Bush when they signed Military Construction
                Appropriations Acts containing a similar provision, that
                this section encompasses only exercises for which providing
                30 days advance notice is feasible and consistent with my
                constitutional authority and duty to protect the national
                security.
        I urge the Congress to pass all of the FY 2000 appropriations bills
    as quickly as possible and send them to me in an acceptable form. As of
    today, the Congress has finished its work on only two of the thirteen
    appropriations bills. Moreover, many of the remaining bills would
    require deep cuts in essential government programs, including education,
    law enforcement, science and technology, the environment, and programs
    to advance global security through the peaceful use of diplomacy,
    helping minimize our chances of needing to use military force to the
    same ends.
        When it returns in September, the Congress still has a great deal of
    work to do. I urge the Congress to approach this work responsibly in
    order to pass funding bills which are sufficient to meet our Nation's
    needs in the year 2000.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    August 17, 1999.

    Note: H.R. 2465, approved August 17, was assigned Public Law No. 106-52.