THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

            PRESIDENT CLINTON USES LINE-ITEM VETO AUTHORITY,
             SAVING $20.2 MILLION BY CANCELING 10 PROJECTS
                   FROM TWO 1998 APPROPRIATIONS ACTS

November 1, 1997

President Clinton used his line-item veto authority today to save taxpayers $20.2 million by canceling 10 projects from two 1998 appropriations acts.

• 7 projects, for $14 million, from the VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act; and
• 3 projects, for $6.2 million, from the Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

The President's decisions were based on recommendations from OMB, HUD, VA, EPA, NASA, DOT, and other agencies.

In the VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, the 7 projects include:

• 1 in VA for a cemetery that is not needed;
• 2 in HUD for activities that are ineligible for funding under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program;
• 3 in EPA for activities that are outside EPA's mission, are low priority, or have not proved their usefulness; and
• 1 in NASA that has two elements -- one that is not consistent with NASA's mission, the other that largely duplicates an ongoing project.

In the Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, the 3 projects include:

• 1 economic development project that is inappropriate for the Federal Railroad Administration to fund;
• 1 project that would help private companies that are not serving a demonstrated, well-defined public need; and
• 1 transportation emergency preparedness and response demonstration project that is outside DOT's mission and is unnecessary.