THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                       (Lincoln, Massachusetts)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                       June 5, 1998

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I commend the House of Representatives for joining the Senate in passing by an overwhelming majority the bipartisan agriculture research bill. This legislation restores benefits to thousands of deserving legal immigrants who will now be able to rely on much-needed food stamp assistance. It builds on our success last year in reversing harsh cuts in SSI and Medicaid benefits for legal immigrants that had nothing to do with our goal of moving people from welfare to work. With these actions, the Congress has gone a long way toward fulfilling the commitment I made to reverse this unfair treatment of legal immigrants. At the same time, the bill funds crucial agricultural research, crop insurance, and rural development priorities which will strengthen the farm safety net and enhance the quality of life in rural America.

I would like to congratulate Representatives Smith and Stenholm for their excellent work in crafting and stewarding through the House this important legislation.

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