[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 43 (Monday, October 26, 1998)]
[Pages 2088-2089]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the House of Representatives Returning Without Approval the 
``Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998''

October 21, 1998

To the House of Representatives:

    I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 1757, the ``Foreign 
Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998''.
    I take this action for several reasons, most importantly, because 
the Congress has included in this legislation unacceptable restrictions 
on international family planning programs and threatened our leadership 
in the world community by tying our payment of dues to the United 
Nations and other international organizations to these unrelated family 
planning issues.
    Current law, with which Administration policy is fully consistent, 
already prohibits the use of Federal funds to pay for abortion abroad 
and for lobbying on abortion issues. This bill would go beyond those 
limits. One provision would deny U.S. Government funding for family 
planning programs carried

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out by foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that use their own 
funds to perform abortions even though the overall result of these NGO 
family planning programs is to reduce the incidence of abortion. 
Although the bill allows the President to waive this restriction, use of 
the waiver would also cripple many programs by limiting annual spending 
for international family planning to $356 million, $44 million below the 
amount available for Fiscal Year 1998.
    A second provision would attempt to restrict the free speech of 
foreign NGOs by prohibiting funding for those that use their own funds 
to engage in any activity intended to alter the laws of a foreign 
country either to promote or to deter abortion. The bill would even ban 
drafting and distributing material or public statements on abortion. The 
bill does not contain a waiver for this restriction.
    These restrictions and the funding limit would severely jeopardize 
the ability of the United States to meet the growing demand for family 
planning and other critical health services in developing countries. By 
denying funding to organizations that offer a wide range of safe and 
effective family planning services, the bill would increase unwanted 
pregnancies and lead to more abortions than would otherwise be the case.
    I am also deeply concerned that the Congress has effectively tied 
these unacceptable restrictions on international family planning to 
payment of legitimate U.S. arrears to the United Nations and other 
international organizations. A strong United Nations, with the United 
States playing a leadership role, is in our national interest. Payment 
of our dues to the United Nations is essential to our ability to lead. 
There are strongly held beliefs on both sides of the debate over 
international population policy. These issues ought to be considered 
separately on their own merits; they should not be permitted to hinder 
U.S. obligations to the world community.
    The package authorizing arrears payments linked to UN reforms was 
the result of good-faith negotiations between my Administration and the 
Congress more than a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, due to the 
passage of time, some of these conditions are now outdated and are no 
longer achievable. In particular, the fact that the UN has concluded 
negotiations on assessment rates for the next 3 years has significantly 
decreased our ability to negotiate a limitation on the U.S. assessed 
share of the UN regular budget below 22 percent. Furthermore, the 
increase in contested arrears during this period requires that the 
United States have additional flexibility in obtaining a contested 
arrears account. While many of the UN reform benchmarks in the package 
remain acceptable, significant revisions are required, and I look 
forward to working with the Congress next year to secure the payment of 
our arrears and an achievable package of UN reforms.
    The Bill contains important and carefully negotiated authority to 
reorganize the foreign affairs agencies and other basic authorities for 
these agencies. Many of these provisions were supported by my 
Administration, and I am pleased that they have been included in the 
Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for 
FY 1999.
    For the foregoing reasons, I am compelled to return H.R. 1757 
without my approval.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
October 21, 1998.

Note: H.R. 4328, the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental 
Appropriations Act, 1999, was assigned Public Law No. 105-277.