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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release October 7, 1998

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today I have signed into law H.R. 4060, the "Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1999," which provides $20.8 billion in discretionary budget authority for the programs of the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and several smaller agencies.

The Act provides necessary funding to maintain my Administration's commitment to ensuring the safety and reliability of our Nation's nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing. It also supports DOE's basic science programs, including funding for the Spallation Neutron Source Program. The Act also provides funding to develop and protect the Nation's water resources.

I am pleased that the Act includes authority to transfer funds to support the operation of the D.C. Courts.

However, I am disappointed that the Congress did not include my funding request for valuable research and development investments in renewable energy sources, and I will work with the Congress to explore options for funding these important investments. I am also disappointed that the Congress provided no funding for the Next Generation Internet and for discretionary programs of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and inadequate funding for the Clean Water Initiative, including the Initiative's Everglades restoration activities and Columbia River salmon recovery efforts. I look forward to working with the Congress on options for financing and increasing support for these initiatives in the future.

Only 4 of the 13 FY 1999 appropriations bills have been sent to the White House. These 13 bills must be passed to fund the operation of the Government for the fiscal year that began on October 1. Time is growing short, and I urge the Congress not to delay, but to complete its work on the remaining bills by the end of this week, and to send them to me in an acceptable form.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

                                THE WHITE HOUSE,
                                October 7, 1998.

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