[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 42 (Monday, October 20, 1997)]
[Pages 1607-1608]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Line Item Vetoes of the Energy and Water Development 
Appropriations Act, 1998

October 17, 1997

    I have used my line item veto today to save taxpayers $19 million by 
canceling eight projects in the 1998 Energy and Water Appropriations Act 
that are unwarranted.
    Today marks the sixth time I have used my line item veto authority 
to save the taxpayers money by canceling unjustified, special interest 
provisions. The savings are real--$2 billion to the taxpayers. Just as 
important, the threat of a line item veto serves as a deterrent to ill-
conceived, special interest spending proposals.
    For today's action, the cancellations include five water projects 
that I did not request in my budget; that are new rather than ongoing 
projects; that have greater costs than benefits; that are recreational 
for a limited number of people; or that should be funded at the local 
level. I also canceled three projects that are unwarranted corporate 
subsidies.
    In taking this action, I tried to show deference to Congress' role 
in the appropriations process. I accepted the vast majority of the 423 
projects in this bill that I did not request in my budget. Nevertheless, 
I feel strongly that my administration should look for opportunities to 
save taxpayer dollars by striking unwarranted provisions of bills that 
come before me.

[[Page 1608]]

    In addition, I am also announcing today that I want to work with 
Congress to find a solution to the growing problem of future liabilities 
and extended delays in completing ongoing projects. Each year, Congress 
adds more and more projects without sufficient resources to complete 
existing projects in a timely way. Some of them include 50-year Federal 
commitments, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. The more 
projects are added, the longer the delays in finishing the existing 
ones.
    Because of limited Federal resources, the gap between the number of 
projects that are approved and the number we can afford will keep 
growing. I believe that now is the time for the administration and 
Congress to address the problem. I have asked the administration's 
senior officials who work in this area to reach out to the key Member of 
Congress to work toward a solution.

Note: The reports detailing the cancellations were published in the 
Federal Register on October 20. H.R. 2203, approved October 13, was 
assigned Public Law Number 105-62.