THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

                President Clinton and Vice President Gore
          Supporting Investments in the Young People of America
                            August 3, 1998

Congress Retreats from Support for Education and Youth. Republicans in the House of Representatives are advancing a bill that denies educational and training opportunities to the young people of America. The House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which will soon be put to a vote, cuts $3.3 billion from the President's education and training priorities.

The House Republican Bill:

       Eliminates the $871 million Summer Jobs program.   Up to 530,000
     disadvantaged young people would be denied the opportunity to gain
     skills and valuable work experience over the summer months.  
     Studies show that the Summer Jobs initiative works.  A 1995 report 
     concluded that more than three out of four young people enrolled 
     in the program would have been jobless without it, especially 
     14-15 year-olds.

      Retreats from the nation's commitment to raise academic standards.
     President Clinton has proposed to help states, local communities 
     and schools raise academic standards through the development of 
     voluntary national tests in the basic skills and through the Goals 
     2000 program.  The House bill denies 6,000 schools nationwide 
     funds to help students reach high standards and would halt 
     development of voluntary national tests in fourth grade reading 
     and eighth grade math.

      Short-changes Head Start.  Denies slots to up to 25,000 
     low-income children compared to President Clinton's budget.

      Eliminates funds for reading tutors.  The House bill eliminates 
     $260 million for the America Reads Challenge, denying funding to 
     schools and communities to improve reading programs and provide 
     tutors.

      Denies funds for after-school programs.  The House bill reduces 
     the President's request for the 21st Century Community Learning 
     Centers program by $140 million, denying approximately 425,000 
     school-age children participation in before- and after-school 
     programs.

      Denies disadvantaged students help in the basic skills.  The 
     House bill denies funds to help an additional 520,000 
     educationally disadvantaged students master the basic skills, by 
     cutting the President's request for Title 1 by almost $400 
     million.

      Slows progress in putting computers in the classroom.  The House 
     bill denies funding to 400 school districts nationwide to provide 
     students and teachers with access to computers and denies 
     specialized technology training to a large number of new teachers 
     first entering the classroom.

      Eliminates funding to prepare disadvantaged children for college. 
     The House bill denies more than one million at-risk middle school 
     students (over five years) the mentoring and tutoring to raise 
     education expectations and eliminate barriers to college, by 
     denying $140 million for the High Hopes program.

      Eliminates funding for middle school safety coordinators.  The 
     House bill denies 6,500 middle schools throughout the nation with 
     $50 million that would provide full-time Safe and Drug-Free 
     Schools Coordinators.

      Denies funding for key child care initiatives.   The House bill
     denies $180 million in child care funding that we proposed to 
     improve and enforce health and safety standards.

      Eliminates Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP).   Under
     President Clinton's budget, more than four million low-income 
     families receive help to pay for heating costs in the winter or to 
     stay cool in the summer.  Under the Republican plan, they won't 
     get a penny.