[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 13 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[Pages 513-515]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the Congress on Science and Technology

March 29, 1995

To the Congress of the United States:

    This Nation's future depends on strong public and private support 
for science and technology. My Administration's decision to make sound 
investments in science and technology even as the Federal Government 
cuts other spending is premised on three basic assumptions:
    <bullet> Technology is the engine of economic growth.
    <bullet> Scientific knowledge is the key to the future.
    <bullet> Responsible government advances science and technology.
    The Congress and the American people can find evidence of the 
Administration's dedication to responsible government support for 
science and technology in our defense and economic policies as well as 
our management of the science and technology enterprise. We have 
decreased the Federal deficit, helped to create millions of new jobs, 
and improved the tax treatment of small businesses and of investments in 
research and development. Hemispheric and global trade agreements as 
well as relaxation of outdated export controls have opened huge export 
markets to America's high-tech industries. My National Security Strategy 
of Engagement and Enlargement (February 1995) depends on farsighted and 
efficient science and technology investments. Our foreign policy and 
security interests are also supported by

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mutually beneficial international cooperation in science and technology.
    We have consistently endorsed technology policies to increase 
prosperity and enhance environmental quality. In Technology for 
America's Economic Growth (February 1993) and Technology for a 
Sustainable Future (July 1994) this Administration conveyed to the 
American people our plans for public/private partnerships to improve the 
business environment, enhance access to quality education and training, 
support development of information infrastructure, ensure continued 
excellence in health care, and strengthen America's global 
competitiveness.
    Streamlined government based on strong partnerships--within the 
government, with the private sector, and among nations--is a hallmark of 
the Clinton/Gore Administration. The ``virtual department'' I created by 
establishing the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has cut 
bureaucratic red tape and produced a historic first: an integrated 
research and development budget that focuses on national goals. The NSTC 
has also produced large savings by enabling agencies to coordinate their 
efforts, divide tasks, and share resources.
    My Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) provides 
critical links to industry and academia. Their oversight of NSTC 
activities, such as development of strategies for the management and 
disposition of fissile materials, promises to improve the Federal 
effort. So, too, do the forums and workshops that have drawn in 
thousands of experts and stakeholders to help develop priorities in 
areas as diverse as fundamental science; environmental technology; and 
health; safety; and food research.
    I am also very proud of the steps we have taken to improve 
international cooperation in science and technology. Through the Gore-
Chernomyrdin Commission we have used science and technology cooperation 
to ease the Russians' transition to democracy and a market economy. We 
have received valuable new technology and cultivated a crucial partner 
in global affairs through Russian participation in the international 
space station. We have used the Megasciences Forum of the Organization 
for Economic Cooperation and Development and other international forums 
to explore ways to share the increasing costs of cutting-edge research 
while maintaining our position of world leadership. Bilateral science 
and technology cooperation with other nations, including advanced 
industrial economies such as Japan, and big, emerging markets such as 
the People's Republic of China, serve us well in the global economy--
giving us access to new ideas and new technologies while creating new 
opportunities for business.
    Economists have estimated that the social rate of return on 
investments in research and development averages about 50 percent, or 
about double the average private rate of return. Clearly a solid Federal 
investment program is justified even in the leanest times. It is 
especially important for the Federal Government to maintain its 
investments in science and technology when the pressures of 
international competition are leading businesses to focus on shorter 
term payoffs at the expense of more basic, longer term, and riskier 
research and development.
    In Science in the National Interest (August 1994), the Vice 
President and I reaffirmed our longstanding commitment to world 
leadership in science, mathematics, and engineering. Scientific 
discoveries inspire and enrich us. Equally important, science and 
mathematics education provides all Americans with the knowledge and 
skills they need to prepare for and adapt to the high-technology jobs of 
the future and to exercise the responsibilities of citizenship.
    This Administration has articulated clear goals and established 
priorities for Federal spending, and our economic policies have improved 
the climate for private investment as well. We intend to work closely 
with the Congress to ensure the well-being of our children and 
grandchildren. These investments will prepare us for the challenges of 
the 21st century.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
March 29, 1995.

Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
March 31.

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