[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 41 (Monday, October 13, 1997)]
[Pages 1544-1545]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 1998

October 10, 1997

    I have today signed into law H.R. 2378, the ``Treasury and General 
Government Appropriations Act, 1998,'' which provides $12.8 billion in 
discretionary budget authority for various programs in the Department of 
the Treasury, the United States Postal Service, the General Services 
Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, the Executive Office 
of the President and several smaller agencies.
    The Act provides funding for the Department of the Treasury of $11.4 
billion, including $131 million for violent crime reduction programs. 
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is funded at $7.8 billion, including 
$325 million for Information Technology Investments. While this funding 
level is $175 million below my request, I believe that the funds will 
strengthen the IRS's ability to provide timely and accurate data for 
American taxpayers. The bill also includes $138 million for the Earned 
Income Tax Credit compliance initiative and $377 million for Year 2000 
conversion requirements for IRS computer systems. Law Enforcement 
bureaus within

[[Page 1545]]

the Department of the Treasury are funded at $3.1 billion.
    The Act provides $195 million for the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy's (ONDCP) national media campaign. This money will enable 
ONDCP to develop a national media campaign targeting drug consumption by 
youth. The campaign will be a model public-private partnership, exposing 
90 percent of all 9 to 17 year-olds to anti-drug messages at least four 
times a week.
    The Act repeals cooperative purchasing authority that would have 
allowed States and localities to buy products off the General Services 
Administration's Federal supply schedule contracts. I am disappointed by 
this repeal, which will deprive us of the opportunity for potential 
savings achievable by leveraging the combined purchasing power of the 
Federal Government, States, and localities.
    Section 640 of the bill prohibits the use of appropriations to pay 
the salary of any officer or employee of the Federal Government who 
interferes with certain communications or contacts between other Federal 
employees and Members of Congress or congressional committees. I 
understand this provision is intended to protect ``whistleblower'' 
employees who wish to inform the Congress of evidence of violations of 
law or other wrongdoing in the Government. Any broader interpretation of 
the provision that would apply to ``nonwhistleblowers'' would raise 
substantial constitutional concerns in depriving the President and his 
department and agency heads of their ability to supervise and control 
the operations and communications of the executive branch. I do not 
interpret this provision to detract from my constitutional authority in 
this way.
    I urge the Congress to complete action on the remaining FY 1998 
appropriations bills as quickly as possible, and to send them to me in 
an acceptable form.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
October 10, 1997.

Note: H.R. 2378, approved October 10, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
61.