[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 44 (Monday, November 8, 1999)]
[Page 2230]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Senate Action on the District of Columbia, Departments of 
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Bill

November 2, 1999

    Today, by a narrow margin, Congress completed action on a deeply 
flawed spending bill that I will veto. This bill is a catalog of missed 
opportunities, misguided priorities, and mindless cuts. It forces 
America's schoolchildren to pay the price for Congress' failure to make 
responsible choices. I will not let it become law.
    The bill--which includes the Labor/Health and Human Services/
Education appropriations measure--makes a blind, across-the-board cut 
that will hurt everything from national defense to veterans' programs, 
from education to the environment. It reneges on last year's bipartisan 
commitment to fund 100,000 teachers and reduce class size in the early 
grades, replacing this proven approach with a risky block grant that 
opens the door to private school vouchers. It fails to include a key 
accountability initiative to help turn around failing schools. And it 
shortchanges many other priorities, including efforts to enhance worker 
safety, expand child care, detect emerging infectious diseases, and 
protect Americans from the threat of bioterrorism.
    This debate is not just about how much we spend but also how wisely 
we spend. I sent Congress a budget, for education, health care, and 
other programs, that invests in results and is fully paid for. But 
Congress continues to pursue an agenda of irresponsible cuts and ill-
conceived allocations. The patience of the American public is wearing 
thin. It is time for Congress to put aside partisanship and make the 
targeted investments our Nation's future demands.