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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release August 3, 1998

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Tonight's vote for the Shays Meehan bill is a breakthrough in the fight for bipartisan campaign finance reform. The breadth of its support, from members of both parties, showed that reform is an idea whose time has come, even in the face of persistent obstruction by the Republican leaders of Congress. It is time to ban soft money, improve disclosure, and curb backdoor campaign spending. Now a majority of both the House and the Senate have gone on record for this legislation. I urge the House to move this legislation to final passage before they adjourn for the August recess. And I urge the Republican leaders of the Senate, who are using procedural tactics to block this measure, to listen to the will of the majority and the loud voice of the American people. I congratulate Representatives Chris Shays, Martin Meehan and their colleagues for their courage and their persistence.

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