[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 42 (Monday, October 20, 1997)]
[Page 1582]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Line Item Vetoes of the Department of 
Defense Appropriations Act, 1998

October 14, 1997

    Over the past 4\1/2\ years, my administration has worked hard to cut 
the deficit and to ensure that our tax dollars are used wisely, 
carefully, and effectively. We have reduced the deficit by 85 percent 
even before enacting the historic balanced budget legislation this past 
summer.
    The line item veto gives the President an important tool to save 
taxpayers money, avoid unnecessary Government spending, and ensure that 
the national interest prevails over narrow interests. It will enable 
America to continue the fiscal discipline that has helped create our 
strong economic expansion. And by allowing a President to sign important 
legislation while canceling projects that do not meet important national 
goals, it will change the way Washington works.
    America must--and will--continue to have the world's strongest 
military. We have an obligation to manage our defense budget with both 
national security and fiscal responsibility in mind. Every penny of our 
defense dollars should be used to sustain and strengthen the best 
trained, the best equipped, and the best prepared Armed Forces in the 
world.
    Today, for the third time, I am using the line item veto to cancel 
13 projects inserted by Congress into the Department of Defense's 
appropriations bill. These cancellations will save the American taxpayer 
$144 million. This use of the line item veto will help ensure that we 
focus on the projects that will best secure our strength in the years to 
come.
    I canceled the projects because they were not requested in my fiscal 
year 1998 budget, and because either they were not contained in our 
future years defense program or the Department of Defense determined 
that they would not make a significant contribution to U.S. military 
capability. In two cases, I canceled items that had broader policy 
implications for longstanding U.S. national security policy. I have been 
assured by the Secretary of Defense that none of the cancellations would 
undercut our national security or adversely affect the readiness of our 
forces or their operations in defense of our Nation.
    As I said last week, I will continue to scrutinize other 
appropriation bills, using appropriate criteria in each instance, and I 
will exercise the line item veto when warranted.

Note: The reports detailing the cancellations were published in the 
Federal Register on October 15. H.R. 2266, approved October 8, was 
assigned Public Law Number 105-56.