[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 32 (Monday, August 14, 2000)]
[Pages 1816-1817]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, FY 
2001

August 9, 2000

    Today I have signed into law H.R. 4576, the ``Department of Defense 
Appropriations Act, FY 2001.'' The bill approves funds to cover the 
Department's most critical needs, consistent with my request that 
reflected my strong commitment to our Nation's security. Our high 
military readiness must remain our top national security priority.
    H.R. 4576 provides funding for all critical Defense activities--pay 
and other quality of life programs, readiness, and weapons 
modernization. The bill fully funds key compensation initiatives, 
including my request for a 3.7 percent pay increase for military 
personnel. I am pleased that the conferees agreed to provide full 
funding for a new pharmacy benefit for military retirees over the age of 
65. This funding will ensure that those who dedicated their lives to 
military service benefit from comprehensive prescription drug coverage. 
I urge the Congress to provide a similar benefit to all retirees through 
the Medicare program. Additionally, the bill funds my requests for 
training, spare parts, equipment maintenance, and base operations--all 
items essential to military readiness.
    I am also pleased that H.R. 4576 fully funds key modernization 
programs such as the F-22 fighter aircraft, the CVN-77 Nuclear Aircraft 
Carrier, and National Missile Defense. Finally, Public Law 106-246, the 
Emergency Supplemental Act, FY 2000, repealed provisions that were 
contained in the 1997 bipartisan budget agreement that would have 
shifted certain VA and SSI payments from FY 2000 to FY 2001. I am 
pleased that the bill does not reverse the repeal of these provisions 
and thus ensures that recipients will receive their payments on time.
    Unfortunately, H.R. 4576 goes beyond what is necessary, providing 
funding for a host of unrequested programs at the expense of other core 
Government activities. It provides $287.5 billion in discretionary 
budget authority for programs funded by this bill. This funding level is 
$3.2 billion above my request, and $17.5 billion above the FY 2000 
enacted level. My budget correctly addressed our most important FY 2001 
military needs. Additionally, while the bill, in its entirety, provides 
sufficient funds to meet known contingency operations costs for FY 2001, 
it resorts to an emergency funding technique to meet the Appropriations 
Subcommittee allocation; it includes about $1.8 billion of standard 
operation and maintenance funding, which was requested in the FY 2001 
Budget on a nonemergency basis, as FY 2000 emergency supplemental 
funding, of which $1.1 billion will be used to forward fund FY 2001 
contingency operations in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Southwest Asia. Moreover, 
half of the funding for the pharmacy benefits for military retirees over 
the age of 65 is designated as an emergency.
    Regrettably, the bill also denies or reduces the necessary funds for 
key programs included in my request. The resulting cuts are troubling. I 
am disappointed that the bill does not fund the chemical weapons 
destruction facility at Shchuch'ye, Russia, which is vital to our 
security and international nonproliferation efforts. The significant 
cuts in the bill to both our Cooperative Threat Reduction Defense and 
Military Contacts program and the Partnership for Peace program will 
noticeably undermine these initiatives. I am also concerned that the 
bill makes reductions to my request for the Joint Strike Fighter and 
LPD-17 amphibious ship program.
    Lastly, the bill does not fund the $324 million a year required for 
wage credits to Social

[[Page 1817]]

Security for certain military, nontaxable income. I urge the Congress to 
adopt legislation I proposed, which would eliminate the requirement for 
the payments.
    While I am disappointed that the Congress has funded FY 2001 
activities through FY 2000 emergency funds--an approach that should not 
be repeated--I will designate as emergency requirements the FY 2000 
funds in the Act that the Congress has so designated.
    I have signed this bill because, on balance, it demonstrates our 
commitment to the military, meets our obligations to the troops, 
maintains readiness, and funds modernization efforts that will ensure 
our technological edge in the 21st Century.
                                            William J. Clinton
 The White House,
 August 9, 2000.

 Note:  H.R. 4576, approved August 9, was assigned Public Law No. 106-
259.