[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 36 (Monday, September 7, 1998)]
[Pages 1683-1684]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Senate Action on Appropriations Legislation

September 1, 1998

    For the past month, I have criticized the House Republican education 
and training budget because it shortchanges America's future. Today I am 
pleased that a bipartisan group of Senators voted to reject parts of the 
extreme House Republican education and

[[Page 1684]]

training budget and make many--but not all--of the critical investments 
in our future that I believe are necessary for America to succeed in the 
21st century. This afternoon the Senate Labor-HHS appropriations 
subcommittee voted to restore full funding for home heating and cooling 
assistance for low-income families and summer jobs for disadvantaged 
youth. Unlike the House Republican budget, they voted to make many of 
the essential investments in our children for which I have been 
fighting.
    The Senate subcommittee, however, did not adequately fund several 
education and training investments that I believe are vitally important 
to our Nation's future. For example, they did not provide the resources 
necessary for us to move forward to ensure that every 8-year-old can 
read on his or her own and every 12-year-old can log on to the 
information superhighway. The Senate bill is a good first step, but 
there is still more work to do.
    I look forward to working with the Senate on this bill to expand 
educational opportunity, improve child care, set voluntary national 
academic standards, protect continuity in critical health programs, and 
help young people in high-poverty areas. Finally, as I have said before, 
Congress must take action to modernize our schools and help provide 
smaller classes with well-qualified teachers.