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PRESIDENT CLINTON, VICE PRESIDENT GORE, AND CONGRESSIONAL
DEMOCRATS WIN ON THE BUDGET, BUT CONGRESS STILL NEEDS TO DO
MORE WORK TO ADDRESS AMERICA'S PRIORITIES
November 18, 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Overview of Key Victories and Remaining Issues
II. A Victory for America's Students (table)
III. Progress On America's Priorities
-Protecting Fiscal Discipline and Paying Down the Debt
-A Victory for America's Students
-Fighting Crime, Drugs, and Guns
-Investing in a Cleaner Environment
-Maintaining America's Global Leadership
-Empowering Families and Communities
-Progress on the New Markets Initiative
-Addressing Health Care
-Responding to the Farm Crisis
-A Strong Research and Development Agenda
-Other Highlights
IV. Despite All the Progress in this Year's Budget, There is Still
More Work That Needs to Be Done
OVERVIEW: PRESIDENT CLINTON, VICE PRESIDENT GORE, AND
CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIN ON THE BUDGET, BUT CONGRESS STILL
NEEDS TO DO MORE WORK TO ADDRESS AMERICA'S PRIORITIES
November 18, 1999
Protecting Fiscal Discipline and Paying Down the Debt. The budget
agreement represents a victory for President Clinton's stand for fiscal
discipline. Between 1981 and 1992, the debt quadrupled. In 1992 the
deficit was $290 billion and projected to rise to over $400 billion in
1999. As a result of the tough and sometimes unpopular choices made by
President Clinton in 1993 and 1997, we have seen seven consecutive years
of fiscal improvement for the first time in America's history, bringing
last year's budget to a unified surplus of $123 billion -- the largest
ever. Throughout the year, the Republicans have been proposing fiscally
irresponsible tax cuts that would have jeopardized this record of fiscal
discipline. In September, the President vetoed a Republican tax cut
that would likely have drained hundreds of billions of dollars of the
Social Security surplus from debt reduction. As a result of the
President's stand, America will stay on course to pay off the debt held
by the public by 2015 -- for the first time since Andrew Jackson was
President.
A Victory for America's Students. After vetoing a Congressional budget
that denied funding to priority education and training investments,
President Clinton and Vice President Gore delivered on their ambitious
education agenda.
More High-Quality Teachers With Smaller Class Sizes: Following on a
new initiative by the President last year, the budget agreement
includes $1.3 billion for a bipartisan plan to help reduce class size
in the early grades by hiring 100,000 quality teachers over the next
six years.
Double Funding for After School: $453 million for after school,
providing support to 675,000 students --375,000 more than last year.
GEAR UP: A 67 percent increase to $200 million for the President's
GEAR UP initiative, which helps 482,000 students aspire to and prepare
for college -- the second year of this new initiative.
Accountability for the Lowest Performing Schools: $134 million in
Title I funds to help turn around the worst-performing schools and hold
them accountable for results.
Expanded Head Start: A $607 million increase for Head Start to serve
an additional 44,000 children. Total funding is $5.3 billion -- 90
percent higher than 1993.
Hispanic Education Agenda: $436 million in increases for a number of
education programs that help to improve the educational achievement and
high dropout rates of Latino students.
Largest Pell Grant Maximum Award Ever: Increased to $3,300 -- a 43
percent increase since 1993.
Fighting Crime, Drugs, and Guns. To keep crime coming down to record
lows, President Clinton fought for important investments in the budget
to build on the Administration's successful community policing
initiative, including funds to put more police on the street and
critical resources to strengthen law enforcement efforts to keep
communities safe.
More Police for Our Streets: The budget contains full funding for the
first installment toward the President's goal to hire up to 50,000 more
police officers for our Nation's streets by 2005. The initiative
builds on the President's successful COPS program that has already
funded 100,000 police officers to help keep America's streets safe.
Investing in a Cleaner Environment. President Clinton and Vice
President Gore won significant gains for the environment in the fiscal
year 2000 budget, including new resources to combat water pollution,
protect wildlife, address global warming, and preserve precious lands
across the country. At the same time, the President and Vice President
forced Congress to drop or substantially modify dozens of
anti-environmental riders that would have rolled back hard-won
environmental safeguards and benefited special interests at the expense
of our public lands.
Preserving Our Lands Legacy: The President and Vice President won
$651 million for Lands Legacy, a 42 percent increase for this historic
initiative that strengthens federal efforts to preserve natural
treasures and provides communities with new resources to protect local
green spaces.
Maintaining America's Global Leadership. The Republican Congressional
budget would have turned its back on America's leading role in the world
by not providing funds for peace in the Middle East, leadership at the
United Nations, economic development in the poorest countries, and
efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. The President fought for
and secured victories to strengthen America's leading role in the world
- by meeting our commitment to the Middle East peace process, paying our
dues and arrears to the United Nations, making a critical investment in
debt relief for impoverished countries, funding efforts to safeguard
nuclear weapons and expertise from the former Soviet Union, and help
raise labor standards around the world.
Empowering Families and Communities. President Clinton and Vice
President Gore are committed to tapping the potential of America's urban
and rural communities. This budget moves forward on their vision to
help revitalize America's communities and empower families.
Funding 60,000 New Housing Vouchers for America's Hard-Pressed Working
Families.
Additional Funding for Empowerment Zones: The budget provides $55
million in funding for Urban Empowerment Zones and $15 million for
Rural Enterprise Zones and Enterprise Communities.
Continuing To Build a Network Of Community Development Banks Across
the Nation: The final budget includes $95 million for the Community
Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund.
Progress on the New Markets Initiative: In his State of the Union,
President Clinton proposed to bring more private investment to all areas
of the United States. The President and Congressional Leaders have
agreed to work together to enact bipartisan legislation to help spur
economic development in urban and rural communities that have not shared
fully in the benefits of the nation's strong economy. The New Markets
initiative enjoys bipartisan support.
Funding America's Private Investment Companies (APICs): Provides $20
million of funding for APICs (subject to authorization), a key element
of the President's New Markets Initiative, that would leverage $800
million of new investment in underserved areas.
New Markets Venture Capital Program: Provides, subject to
authorization, $16.5 million in funding for New Market Venture Capital
Firms (NMVCs) and BusinessLINC to bring equity capital and technical
assistance to small businesses in low- and moderate-income
neighborhoods.
Addressing Health Care. The President won a $34.5 billion investment in
health programs, 11.7 percent above the FY 1999 enacted level, to
strengthen the public health infrastructure, provide critical prevention
and treatment services to individuals with mental illness, and advance
biomedical research with a historic investment of $2.3 billion.
Passing the landmark Work Incentives Improvement Act for people with
disabilities: Since 1998, the President has advocated for the passage
of the bipartisan Jeffords-Kennedy-Roth-Moynihan Work Incentives
Improvement Act. Currently, people with disabilities often become
ineligible for Medicaid or Medicare if they work, forcing a choice
between health care and employment. This legislation allows people
with disabilities to maintain their Medicare or Medicaid coverage when
they go to work. It also includes a $250 million demonstration, which
the President insisted on fully funding, that allows people with
disabilities who are still working and are not yet sufficiently
disabled to qualify for Medicaid to buy into the program. Finally, the
bill reforms the training system for people with disabilities.
Responding to the Farm Crisis: The Agriculture Appropriations bill
included $8.6 billion in emergency funds to assist our Nation's farmers
and ranchers who are suffering through the second year in a row of low
commodity prices and, for many, crop and livestock losses from severe
drought and flooding. The final budget includes over $550 million more
to fulfil the unmet needs identified by the President, including
significant funds targeted to hurricane-affected areas, increased crop
loss payments for all producers, and over $2.5 billion in additional
farm loans to help producers secure financing for next year's crop. The
President and Vice President remain concerned that Congress did not
address the underlying issues that exist in the wake of Freedom to Farm
legislation and that more needs to be done.
A Strong Research and Development Agenda: The final budget included an
unprecedented commitment to key civilian research. The final budget
increases the President's "21st Century Research Fund" for civilian
research programs by more than $3 billion. It also includes a five year
extension of the Research and Experimentation tax credit.
National Science Foundation: A 6.6 percent increase in support for
science and engineering research and education.
National Institutes of Health: Provides $2.3 billion, a 15 percent
increase over FY 1999 funding levels to build on the President's
commitment to biomedical research.
Information Technology: The final budget includes more than $80
million in funding for the Next Generation Internet and $235 million
for the Administration's "Information Technology for the 21st Century"
initiative.
Much Work Still Left To Do In the waning days of the session, the
President and Congressional Democrats prevailed in making critical
investments to advance the President's comprehensive education agenda,
put more police on the streets, protect the environment, and strengthen
America's leading role in the world. But much work still remains to be
done.
Passing Common Sense Gun Legislation: Congress must pass a bipartisan
juvenile crime bill that includes strong gun measures to: close the gun
show loophole; require child safety locks for handguns; ban the
importation of large capacity ammunition clips; and bar violent
juveniles from owning guns for life.
Passing a Strong, Enforceable, Patients' Bill of Rights: During the
past two years, the President has exercised his executive authority to
extend critical patient protections to over 85 million Americans. But
ultimately, the only way to ensure that all Americans in all plans have
basic consumer protections is to enact a strong, enforceable Patients'
Bill of Rights.
Strengthening Social Security: The Republicans have proposed
so-called "lockbox" legislation that would not add a single day to the
life of Social Security; the President has asked them to join him in
using the benefits of fiscal discipline to extend the life of Social
Security from 2034 to 2050.
Modernizing and Strengthening Medicare: Although members of both
parties joined the President and Vice President in the effort to adjust
Medicare health care provider payments, Congress failed to address the
growing challenges that Medicare faces. These challenges include
modernizing it with a long overdue, optional prescription drug and
giving Medicare the adequate resources and tools to be as efficient as
possible.
Reducing Youth Smoking: President Clinton and Vice President Gore
have made passage of comprehensive tobacco legislation to reduce youth
smoking a top priority in order to stop kids from smoking before they
start, through a significant price increase, measures to prevent tobacco
companies from marketing to children, and critical public health
prevention and education programs.
Expanding Federal Hate Crimes Laws: The President and Vice President
have called for a bill that would make it easier to prosecute crimes
based on race, color, religion and national origin; and that would also
include crimes based on sexual orientation, gender and disability.
Providing for Long-term Care Assistance for Those With Chronic
Illnesses and Their Families: Despite proposals by the President and
bipartisan support from many members of Congress, the Congress has
failed to respond and lost an opportunity to provide critical assistance
for this population.
Providing Health Options for Older Americans: Although the number of
uninsured Americans aged 55 to 65 is growing faster than any other age
group, Congress refused to act on the President's proposals to expand
health options for older Americans
Encouraging Small Businesses to Offer Health Insurance: The President
has urged Congress to provide new health insurance options for
vulnerable Americans employed by small businesses.
Continuing to Help People Move From Welfare to Work: Although the
Congress enacted eligibility changes similar to those proposed by the
President to allow states, tribes and communities to more effectively
serve low-income fathers and hard-to-employ welfare recipients, Congress
failed to provide any new funding.
Raising the Minimum Wage: The Congress has failed to pass a clean,
straightforward bill to increase the minimum wage by $1 over two years -
a step that would simply restore it to the 1982 inflation-adjusted
level. Instead, the Senate attached the minimum wage increase to
fiscally irresponsible tax giveaways for special interests.
Expanding Trade and Providing Opportunity for Africa and the Caribbean
Basin: Congress should complete work on the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act. This legislation would be an important milestone in
America's effort to build a new economic relationship with Sub-Saharan
Africa and deepen ties with our Caribbean and Central American
neighbors.
Supporting Southeast Europe's Economic Development and Integration:
Congress should pass the Southeast Europe Trade Preference Act submitted
by the President, which would authorize expansion of duty-free treatment
to a broad range of imports from the region for five years as part of an
effort to strengthen stability and prevent further conflict in the
Balkans by facilitating long-term economic growth.
Promoting Peacekeeping: While the budget goes a long way in meeting
the anticipated requirements for funding UN peacekeeping operations
around the world, the Congress did not fund the full requests. To
promote peace and encourage burden-sharing, Congress should fully fund
UN peacekeeping efforts.
School Construction: The President's school construction proposal
would provide funding to help states and school districts build and
modernize 6,000 schools nationwide. Congress should pass the
President's plan and invest in our nation's schoolchildren.
Enacting Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform: This year, the
Congress failed once again to adopt real, meaningful reform of our
campaign finance system. The President will continue to fight for
comprehensive campaign finance reform and believes that the Senate
should act to restore the public's faith in our political process.
Child Care Initiative. The Republicans refused to support the
President's historic child care initiative to make child care better,
safer, and more affordable for America's working families.
Farm Assistance. The President and Vice President were pleased to get
$8.6 billion in emergency assistance to farmers and ranchers, but they
believe that Congress still needs to address the underlying issues that
exist in the wake of Freedom to Farm legislation.
Providing Fairness to Immigrant Families. Congress has failed to take
action to provide fairness to immigrant families.
Continuing to Empower Communities: The $70 million funding for EZs
and ECs represents less than half of the amounts authorized. The
President and Vice President are committed to seeking full funding for
the remaining eight years of this program.
A VICTORY FOR AMERICA'S STUDENTS
November 18, 1999
*Based on the Labor/Health and Human Services and Education bill passed
by the House Appropriations Committee on September 23, 1999. This bill
provided $33.321 billion for all education programs, compared to $35.701
billion in the final budget agreement.
**House bill eliminated the class size program by absorbing it in a
block grant that dedicated no funding specifically for class size
reduction.
***The Title I set-aside for accountability is also included in the
Title I grants to LEAs.
****These figures represent increase over FY 1999. HEAP figures also
include increase to Title I.
PROGRESS ON AMERICA'S PRIORITIES
November 18, 1999
Protecting Fiscal Discipline and Paying Down the Debt
The budget agreement represents a victory for President Clinton's stand
for fiscal discipline. As a result of the President's commitments,
America will stay on course to pay off the debt held by the public by
2015 -- for the first time since Andrew Jackson was President.
Debt Quadrupled Between 1981 and 1992: Between 1981 and 1992, the
debt held by the public quadrupled. The budget deficit grew to $290
billion in 1992 -- and was projected to grow to more than $400
billion by 1999.
President's Tough Choices Led to Largest Surplus Ever: As a result
of the tough and sometimes unpopular choices made by President
Clinton in 1993 and 1997, we have seen seven consecutive years of
fiscal improvement for the first time in America's history, bringing
last year's budget to a unified surplus of $123 billion -- the
largest ever.
The President Stopped Republican Attempts to Reverse this Fiscal
Discipline: Throughout the year, the Republican Congress took steps
that would have threatened our fiscal discipline. These were stopped
by the President, who vetoed the Republican's fiscally irresponsible
and exploding tax cut.
In January, Republicans Proposed a Tax Cut that Would Have Spent the
Social Security Surplus: H.R. 3 and S. 3 called for an
across-the-board 10 percent reduction in income tax rates. According
to Joint Committee on Taxation Estimates, this proposal would have
cost $58 billion in 2000 -- using tens of billions of dollars from
the Social Security surplus this year. In the first five years, this
tax cut would have cost $360 billion -- much more than could be paid
for out of the non-Social Security surplus, then projected at $165
billion by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
In August, Republicans Passed a Tax Cut that Would Likely Have Spent
the Social Security Surplus: In August, the Republican Congress
passed a $792 billion tax cut that, if continued, would have used
virtually all of CBO's projected surplus over the next 10 years. It
would have used growing amounts of the Social Security surplus every
year after 2004. This tax cut was based on a budget plan that would
have required nearly 50 percent cuts in all domestic discretionary
spending, assuming defense were funded at the level requested by the
President. If cuts of this magnitude were not made, the likely
consequence of the Republican tax cut would have been to divert
hundreds of billions of dollars of the Social Security surplus from
promised debt reduction.
A Victory for America's Students
After vetoing a Congressional budget that denied funding to priority
education and training investments, President Clinton and Vice President
Gore delivered on their ambitious education agenda.
More High-Quality Teachers With Smaller Class Sizes: President
Clinton's budget included the second installment of his plan to help
reduce class size in the early grades by hiring 100,000 quality
teachers. The President vetoed a Congressional budget that reneged on
last year's bipartisan agreement, did not guarantee funding for 29,000
teachers hired last year, and would have allowed Class Size dollars to
be used for virtually any activity -- including vouchers -- rather than
hiring qualified teachers. The final budget enhances last year's
teacher quality and flexibility provisions and provides $1.3 billion
for Class Size Reduction, enough to stay on track to hire 100,000
teachers over the next 6 years.
More than Twice as Much Federal Support for After School: In his
State of the Union address, the President called for a large investment
in after school and summer school programs to give children the extra
help they need to meet high standards. The final budget more than
doubles the federal investment in these programs to $453 million, to
provide educational support to nearly 675,000 students --375,000 more
students than last year.
Early Intervention To Help Disadvantaged Students Prepare for College:
House Republicans proposed to terminate the President's GEAR UP college
preparation initiative for low-income students, a new initiative begun
in 1998. The final budget increases funding for GEAR UP from $120
million in 1999 to $200 million to support State projects and
partnerships of colleges, high-poverty schools, and community
organizations, to help 482,000 students aspire to and prepare for
college starting in the 7th grade.
Accountability for the Lowest Performing Schools: In his State of the
Union address, President Clinton insisted that "all states and school
districts must turn around their worst-performing schools -- or shut
them down," and his Budget included funds to help states and school
districts turn around their own failing schools. The final bill
provides $134 million in Title I funds to help turn around the
worst-performing schools and hold them accountable for results. In
addition, the bill provides $7,807 million for the base program, Title
I Grants to LEAs, which is an increase of $75 million over last year,
in order to continue efforts to help disadvantaged students catch up
with their peers.
More Education Technology for Students: The final budget triples
funding for Community Technology Centers to reach at least 120
low-income communities, provides $75 million to train new teachers in
the use of technology, and provides $425 million to states and school
districts to purchase computer hardware and educational software.
Investment in educational technology has increased to $769 million, up
from $698 million in 1999.
Making Schools Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free: The budget agreement
provides $606 million for school-based drug and violence prevention
programs, including the President's $50 million request for the
Coordinator Initiative, that would provide coordinators to plan,
implement, and evaluate successful prevention programs in middle
schools across the Nation. Additional resources are also provided for
an expansion of the interagency Safe Schools / Healthy Students
initiative, with HHS and DoJ.
Expanded Head Start: President Clinton and Vice President Gore
proposed a $607 million increase for Head Start to serve an additional
44,000 young children -- and stay on track toward serving one million
children by 2002. The House Republican budget did not provide the
President's increase and would have denied over 40,000 children Head
Start slots if enacted. The final budget includes the President's full
increase for Head Start, which is funded at $5.3 billion -- or 90
percent above the 1993 level.
Increasing Public School Choice Through Charter Schools: The budget
agreement provides $145 million for Public Charter Schools, an increase
of $45 million over the FY 1999 enacted level. This will strengthen and
expand public school choice by providing startup funding to as many as
2,400 charter schools next year, about 650 more schools than this year.
The President has pledged to help start 3,000 charter schools across
the country by early in the next century. When President Clinton and
Vice President Gore were first elected in 1992, there was only one
charter school operating in the country. This year, more than 1,700
charter schools are operating, serving a diverse student body in more
than 30 states. This remarkable growth is in large part due to the
President's leadership and support for these innovative high quality
schools.
Hispanic Education Agenda: President Clinton's budget included an
ambitious agenda to address the disproportionately low educational
achievement and high dropout rates of Latino students. The final
budget includes $436 million in increases for a number of education
programs that help to improve the educational outcomes of Latinos and
limited English proficient students, including Title I Grants to LEAs,
Adult Education, Bilingual Education, and TRIO.
English Language/Civics Education Initiative: The increase to Adult
Education targets $25.5 million for the President's ESL/Civics
Initiative, which would provide instruction in both English literacy
and critical life skills necessary for effective citizenship and civic
participation.
Largest Maximum Pell Grant Award Ever: The final budget provides $7.7
billion for Pell Grants, increasing the maximum Pell Grant award from
$3,125 to $3,300. The maximum award has increased 43 percent since
President Clinton and Vice President Gore took office in 1993.
Support for One Million Students To Work Their Way Through College:
The President's budget requested $934 million for Federal Work-Study to
fulfill his commitment to expand work-study to one million students in
FY 2000. House Republicans initially provided only $880 million. The
final budget provides the President's request and will give one million
students the opportunity to earn money for college through part-time
work.
Training for Dislocated Workers: The final budget provides a $190
million increase for a total of $1.6 billion to provide much needed
training for dislocated workers. This is more than triple the funding
in 1993, allowing the program to serve more than 3 times as many
dislocated workers. This increase is a step toward meeting the 5-year
goal of the Universal Reemployment Initiative to provide training to
every dislocated worker who wants and needs training.
Providing for School Construction: The final budget extends Qualified
Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs) through 2001. QZABs provide no-interest
loans to school districts in needy areas to fund certain expenditures
on rehabilitation and repairs, educational equipment, curriculum
development, and teacher training. QZABs have been used to purchase
computers and develop technology-based curricula, renovate and repair a
charter school, purchase computer software and hardware to develop
literacy programs, and even to establish the first public secondary
military academy in the nation.
Tax Relief to Encourage Worker Training: The final budget extends the
tax relief provided by Section 127 through 2001, which allows employers
to provide educational assistance for courses at degree-granting
institutions as a tax-free fringe benefit. By encouraging worker
education, it helps employers expand the skills of their work force and
expands the opportunities of workers to adapt to new technologies.
Fighting Crime, Drugs, and Guns
To keep crime coming down to record lows, President Clinton and Vice
President Gore fought for important investments in the budget to build
on the Administration's successful community policing initiative,
including funds to put more police on the street and critical resources
to strengthen law enforcement efforts to keep communities safe.
More Police on the Streets: In 1994, President Clinton and Vice
President Gore won a commitment to put 100,000 police officers on the
street. In his State of the Union Address, the President proposed a
21st Century crime plan to hire up to 50,000 more police officers by
2005. The final budget contains full funding for the first installment
toward meeting this goal.
Law Enforcement Technology: The final budget provides $230 million to
provide law enforcement with the latest crime-fighting and
crime-solving technology.
Community Prosecutors: Provides $10 for the Administration's
initiative to extend the success of community policing to local
prosecutors.
Strengthened Gun Enforcement: An increase of $12.6 million for more
ATF agents to bolster federal law enforcement efforts against gun
crime.
Youth and Guns: Over $50 million for the President's Youth Crime Gun
Interdiction Initiative, to expand the initiative from 27 to 38 cities,
trace more guns used in crimes, and add more ATF agents to crack down
on illegal gun traffickers who supply guns to juveniles and criminals.
Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign: $185 million to continue the
successful campaign to reach our youth with the message that drugs are
wrong, dangerous and deadly.
Investing in a Cleaner Environment
President Clinton and Vice President Gore won significant gains for the
environment in the fiscal year 2000 budget, including new resources to
combat water pollution, protect wildlife, address global warming, and
preserve precious lands across the country. At the same time, the
President and Vice President forced Congress to drop or substantially
modify dozens of anti-environmental riders that would have rolled back
hard-won environmental safeguards and benefited special interests at the
expense of our public lands.
Preserving Our Lands Legacy: The President and Vice President won
$651 million for Lands Legacy, an historic initiative that strengthens
federal efforts to preserve natural treasures and provides communities
with new resources to protect local green spaces. Lands Legacy
funding, a 42 percent increase over last year, includes:
$444 million for federal agencies to acquire and protect dozens of
natural and historic sites around the country and off our coasts,
including:
The full $101 million needed to purchase New Mexico's majestic
Baca Ranch, home to one of North America's largest wild elk herds;
$78 million to acquire lands critical to the Administration's
Everglades restoration strategy;
$36 million to manage and protect marine sanctuaries and coral
reefs;
$15 million in matching funds to protect wilderness and other
lands in the California Desert.
$206 million for states and local governments to help communities
preserve their farms, urban parks, coastal areas, and working
forests.
Ensuring Clean Water and Healthy Communities: The final budget
secures $1.8 billion for the President's Clean Water Action Plan, a 9
percent increase includes increased funds to reduce polluted runoff
from large livestock operations. In addition, the Environmental
Protection Agency budget provides $2.17 billion to help communities
build or upgrade drinking water and sewage treatment plants, and $1.4
billion to continue progress toward cleaning up 900 Superfund sites by
2002.
Leading the Fight Against Global Warming: The budget provides $1.1
billion for research and development of clean energy through the
Climate Change Technology Initiative, including a 7 percent increase
for energy efficiency investments to reduce pollution, create jobs, and
save consumers money.
Saving Pacific Salmon: The Administration secured $83 million to
initiate two major new efforts to restore salmon in the Pacific
Northwest: $58 million for states and tribes through the
Administration's Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund; and $25 million
to implement an historic salmon treaty with Canada.
Fighting Congestion and Dirty Air: The budget provides $8.2 billion,
a 10 percent increase, for programs that reduce air pollution while
increasing transportation choices. This includes increases of $407
million for public transit, and $278 million to help communities reduce
congestion while improving air quality.
Encouraging Energy Efficiency: Extend through 2001 the tax credits
for wind and biomass energy production. These tax credits encourage
no- (wind) and low- (biomass) emission energy production. The biomass
tax credit encourages farmers to grow certain materials that can be
burned to produce energy. Producing energy from wind and biomass
preserves scarce energy resources and reduces our reliance on imported
oil.
Cleaning Up Brownfields: The budget extends the tax provision that
allows businesses to fully deduct the cost of cleaning up polluted
"brownfields" in targeted areas through 2001. This provision
encourages the redevelopment of blighted properties, which improves the
environment and makes communities more livable.
Defending Our Environment Against Stealth Attacks: In addition to
securing these major new environmental investments, President Clinton
and Vice President Gore stood as the last line of defense against
congressional efforts to attach anti-environmental riders to budget
bills. These riders would have given special deals to special
interests by: allowing overcutting of our national forests and
jeopardizing the President's plan to protect more than 40 million acres
of roadless areas; allowing mining companies to dump more toxic waste
on public lands and delaying critical mining reforms; letting major oil
companies continue paying below-market royalties on oil developed on
federal lands; crippling critical protections for wetlands and
wildlife; and attempting to block common-sense actions to reduce
greenhouse gas pollution.
Maintaining America's Global Leadership
The Republican Congressional budget would have turned its back on
America's leading role in the world by not providing for peace in the
Middle East, leadership at the United Nations, economic development in
the poorest countries, and efforts to halt the spread of nuclear
weapons. The President fought for and secured victories to strengthen
America's leading role in the world -- by meeting our commitment to the
Middle East peace process, paying our dues and arrears to the United
Nations, making a critical investment in debt relief for impoverished
countries, funding efforts to safeguard nuclear weapons and expertise
from the former Soviet Union, and help raise labor standards around the
world.
Promoting Peace in the Middle East: The Congress fully funded the
President's $1.8 billion request arising from the Wye River Agreement,
which is essential to promoting peace in the Middle East. As Israelis
and Palestinians move ahead on an ambitious agenda to rapidly conclude
a peace accord, this funding sends an important message of U.S.
commitment to building a lasting peace.
Maintaining Leadership at the United Nations: In an agreement reached
between the President and Congress, the United States will now be able
to avoid losing its vote, encourage needed reforms at the UN, and repay
$926 million owed to the UN. This will help meet our obligations to
the UN in order to protect our national security interests and preserve
American influence within the organization and around the world. The
bill passed by the Congress and vetoed by the President would have
caused the United States to lose its vote in the General Assembly.
Debt Relief for Poor Countries: The bill provides $110 million to
fund reduction of debts owed to the U.S. government by the poorest
developing countries. This amount represents an increase of $90
million above the Foreign Operations conference agreement funding level
for this purpose ($20 million). We now have sufficient resources to
finance U.S. participation over the next year in the bilateral debt
aspect of the Cologne Debt Initiative. The agreement also includes
authorization for U.S. support to use a portion of International
Monetary Fund (IMF) gold reserves for debt relief, and additional
authorization would permit the use of the full amount of gold earnings.
Together, the funding and authorizations will help to begin to provide
debt relief for the world's poorest nations, and allow them to focus on
providing basic needs for their own citizens instead of paying interest
to international creditors. Unfortunately, the agreement omits
appropriations for the U.S. contribution to the Heavily Indebted Poor
Country (HIPC) Trust Fund, which will be necessary to fully finance the
participation of some multilateral development institutions in this
historic initiative. We will work with Congress next year to secure
this crucial funding as well as authorization to use the remaining
portion of IMF gold earnings.
Promoting International Development: The bill provides $1.1 billion
for the U.S. contribution to multilateral development banks including
the World Bank and regional development banks. This amount represents
an increase from the $895 million included in the Foreign Operations
conference agreement; however, it remains lower than the
Administration's original request of $1.4 billion.
Reducing the Nuclear Weapons Threat and Building Democracy in Russia
and the Newly Independent States: The final bill provides $839 million
to fund critical efforts in the Newly Independent States (NIS) to
reduce the threat of nuclear weapons, to promote democracy, private
enterprise, and free speech, and to generally assist in the transition
these countries are undertaking. The bulk of these funds will go to
the President's Expanded Threat Reduction Initiative (ETRI) for
programs to increase nuclear security in the former Soviet Union,
dismantle strategic weapons, and strengthen efforts to block transfers
of sensitive technology and expertise. The budget will also allow us
to help remove Russian troops from Georgia and Moldova, and to expand
civilian research projects with former Soviet weapons scientists.
Raising International Labor Standards and Protecting Workers: The FY
2000 Budget includes $70 million for working with developing economies
through the International Labor Organization (ILO), an increase of $30
million over FY 1999. These funds include $20 million to finance the
creation of a new arm of the ILO to provide technical assistance to
help countries implement core labor standards. The agreement also
provides $10 million to fund bilateral technical assistance by the US
Department of Labor to developing economies seeking to establish social
safety net programs and design, implement and enforce labor market
policies. In addition, Congress provided the State Department with
sufficient funds to allow it to go forward with the President's
initiative to support innovative efforts to eliminate sweatshops.
More Funding for President Clinton's Child Labor Initiative: Last
year, the President proposed a 10-fold increase in funding for the
ILO's International Program for the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC)--
from $3 million to $30 million -- and Congress agreed. This year, the
Congress once again fully funded the President's $30 million request.
In addition, Congress provided additional funds sought by the President
to support enhanced customs enforcement of the ban on importation of
goods made with forced or indentured child labor. Congress also
provided sufficient funds to the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) to allow it to go forward with the President's new
"School!" program, which will help developing countries provide
educational alternatives to abusive child labor. Finally, to help us
lead by example, the budget includes enhanced resources for domestic
labor standards enforcement that should help improve compliance with
U.S. child labor laws.
Improving Military Pay and Readiness: The final bill fully funded the
President's "trilogy" pay initiative which includes a significant pay
raise, pay table reform, and a change in military retirement. The bill
additionally funds fully all of our critical readiness programs (unit
training, depot maintenance, recruiting, and spare purchases).
Modernizing the Air Force: The final bill restores most of the
funding for the F-22, allowing the program to continue.
Continuing Chemical Demilitarization: The final bill approves the
higher funding level passed by the Senate (the House proposed cuts of
$392 million), helping to meet our treaty deadlines under the Chemical
Weapons Convention for destruction of chemical weapons.
Empowering Families and Communities President Clinton and Vice President
Gore are committed to tapping the potential of America's urban and rural
communities. This budget moves forward on their vision to help
revitalize America's communities and empower families.
Funding 60,000 New Housing Vouchers for America's Hard-Pressed Working
Families: The budget includes $347 million for 60,000 new housing
vouchers for low-income families, building on last year's level of
50,000. The House and Senate-passed bills had included zero funding
for this initiative. These vouchers will subsidize the rents of
America's hard-pressed working families, enabling them to move closer
to economic opportunities.
Additional Funding for Empowerment Zones: The budget provides $70
million in funding for Rural and Urban Empowerment Zones. The
President's budget requested $165 million - $150 million for urban EZs
and $15 million for rural EZs/ECs. The House and Senate bills included
no funding. All of the Urban and Rural EZs (20 Zones) and rural
enterprise communities (20 ECs) that were designated by the Vice
President in January 1999 as Round II zones will receive funding.
Protecting Rent Subsidies for Low-Income Families: The final budget
includes $10.8 billion for the renewal of all Section 8 contracts, an
increase of $1.2 billion from FY 1999. This will ensure continuation
of HUD rental subsidies for low-income tenants in privately-owned
housing.
Housing Assistance for Elderly and Disabled: The final budget
includes expansion of funding for affordable housing for the elderly
and disabled by $911 million, $57 million above FY 1999, enabling about
30,000 people to have affordable housing. Also included were core
elements of a Housing Security Plan for older Americans that recognizes
the dramatic increase in our elderly population and the changing
housing needs that accompany this demographic shift.
Increased Funding for Homeless Assistance: The President and Vice
President proposed a major expansion of HUD's continuum of care
program, designed to help homeless persons obtain temporary and
permanent housing. The final budget includes $1.02 billion in funds
for the homeless assistance grants - a $45 million, or 5 percent,
increase over last year.
Extending the Work Opportunity Tax Credit: This tax credit encourages
employers to hire individuals who have traditionally had a hard time
securing employment. Targeted groups include disadvantaged youth,
including those living in empowerment zones and enterprise communities,
welfare recipients, and qualified veterans. The maximum credit paid to
the employer is as much as 40 percent of an individual's first $6,000
in wages. The President proposed to extend this credit in his FY 2000
budget and the final budget includes an extension through 2001.
Extending the Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit: This tax credit encourages
employers to hire and retain certain long-term assistance recipients.
The maximum credit to an employer is as much as 50 percent of wages,
with a maximum credit of $8,500 per qualified employee over 2 years.
The President proposed to extend this credit in his FY 2000 budget and
the final budget includes an extension through 2001.
Access to Jobs Transportation Funds: The final budget includes $75
million to assist states and localities in developing flexible
transportation alternatives, such as van services, to help former
welfare recipients and other low income workers get to work.
Individual Development Accounts: Since 1992, President Clinton and
Vice President Gore have supported the creation of Individual
Development Accounts (IDAs) to empower individuals to save for a first
home, post-secondary education, or to start a new business. Last year,
Congress passed legislation authorizing IDAs, and the final budget
includes $10 million for a second round of demonstration grants.
Continuing To Build a Network Of Community Development Banks Across
the Nation: The final budget includes $95 million for the Community
Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund that will expand the
capacity of the network of community development financial institutions
across the country, spurring the flow of capital to distressed
neighborhoods and low-income residents. The President's budget
requested $125 million for the CDFI Fund -- the House appropriated $70
million and the Senate appropriated $80 million. The added resources
bring funding up to FY 1999 enacted levels.
More Home Delivered Meals: President Clinton's budget included an
additional $35 million for home-delivered meals, a 31 percent increase
over last year's funding level. Hundreds of thousands of seniors with
disabilities depend on nutritious home-delivered meals to help them
remain in their homes. The final bill includes this increase to
support the delivery of 146 million meals in FY 2000.
HUD Fair Housing. The final budget includes $44 million for efforts to
fight housing discrimination, a $4 million increase from last year's
enacted level, as part of President Clinton and Vice President Gore's
"One America" initiative. This amount includes $6 million to continue
the audit-based fair housing enforcement initiative started last year.
Maintaining Community Service. The VA/HUD bill includes $438.5
million for AmeriCorps, funding that will support nearly 50,000
AmeriCorps members in community service projects across the country.
Progress on the New Markets Initiative
In his State of the Union, President Clinton proposed to bring more
private investment to all areas of the United States. The President and
Congressional Leaders have agreed to work together to enact bipartisan
legislation to help spur economic development in urban and rural
communities that have not shared fully in the benefits of the nation's
strong economy. The New Markets initiative enjoys bipartisan support.
Funding America's Private Investment Companies (APICs): Provides $20
million of funding for APICs (subject to authorization), key elements
of the President's New Markets Initiative to leverage $800 million of
new investment in underserved areas.
New Markets Venture Capital Program: $16.5 million in funding,
subject to authorization, has been provided for the New Markets program
at the Small Business Administration (SBA). This includes $6 million
in funding for the New Markets Venture Capital program, which provides
capital to untapped rural and urban new market areas; $1.5 million for
BusinessLINC, which encourages large businesses to mentor small
business owners; and $9 million for technical assistance to enhance the
borrower's probability of success. This program exploits investment
opportunities that are not presently being met by private lenders.
Authorization of the PRIME Program: Congress passed new legislation
that included authorization of the PRIME Act, which will provide
micro-enterprise technical assistance through competitive grants to
micro-enterprise development organizations that focus on low-income
entrepreneurs.
Addressing Health care
The President won a $34.5 billion investment in health programs, 11.7
percent above the FY 1999 enacted level, to strengthen the public health
infrastructure, provide critical prevention and treatment services to
individuals with mental illness, and advance biomedical research with a
historic investment of $2.3 billion.
Passing the Landmark Work Incentives Improvement Act for People with
Disabilities: Since 1998, the President has advocated for the passage
of the bipartisan Jeffords-Kennedy-Roth-Moynihan Work Incentives
Improvement Act. Currently, people with disabilities often become
ineligible for Medicaid or Medicare if they work, forcing a choice
between health care and employment. This legislation allows people
with disabilities to maintain their Medicare or Medicaid coverage when
they go to work. It also includes a $250 million demonstration, which
the President insisted on fully funding, that allows people with
disabilities who are still working and are not sufficiently disabled to
qualify for Medicaid to buy into the program. Finally, the bill
reforms the training system for people with disabilities.
Increasing Access to Health Care for the Uninsured: Fully funds the
President's request of $25 million, making a down payment on the
President's $1 billion investment in developing integrated systems of
care for the uninsured. It also provides an additional $15 million to
identify the best way to deliver health care services to this
population.
Supporting Graduate Medical Education at Children's Hospitals: Fully
funds the President's request of $40 million to support graduate
medical education at freestanding children's hospitals, which play an
essential role in the education of the nation's pediatricians.
Caring for the Nation's Elderly. Includes a $43.5 million increase for
the new Nursing Home Initiative, only $1 million below the President's
request, for more rigorous inspections of nursing facilities and
improved federal oversight and enforcement of nursing home quality.
Improving States' Capacity to Deliver Health Care Services to the
Mentally Ill: Provides an additional $67 million above the FY 1999
funding level, for the Mental Health Block Grant, a 23 percent increase
over FY 1999 and the largest increase ever.
Preparing For and Preventing Bioterrorist Attacks: Fully funds the
President's request of $52 million to stockpile vaccines, antibiotics,
and other medical supplies to deploy in the event of a chemical or
biological terrorist attack.
Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Status: Provides an additional
$20 million, a 200 percent increase over the FY 1999 funding level for
health education, prevention, and treatment services to address health
disparities among minority populations.
Expanding AIDS Care, Prevention, and Research: The Administration and
Congress continue their strong partnership to address the AIDS epidemic
with substantial increases in funding. Included in the bill are a $73
million increase in funding for HIV prevention activities to help stop
the spread of this disease; an increase of $183 million in the Ryan
White CARE Act, which helps provide primary care and support for those
living with HIV/AIDS; and an estimated $300 million in additional funds
for AIDS-related research at the NIH. Congress and the Administration
also worked closely together to add $80 million in funding to the
Minority AIDS Initiative, which utilizes existing programs to reach
African-Americans, Latinos, and other racial and ethnic minorities that
are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. Consistent with the
President's request, an additional $100 million to fight AIDS
internationally was funded. Finally, the Administration helped protect
local authority over HIV prevention activities, successfully removing
language from the District of Columbia appropriations bill that would
have tied the hands of community health agencies in their ability to
use needle exchange programs as part of their overall HIV prevention
strategy.
Preventing Childhood Diseases: Provides an additional $62 million, a
4 percent increase over FY 1999 funding levels to provide childhood
immunizations nationwide and fully funds the President's request to
eradicate polio worldwide.
Providing Critical Organ Transplants to Those Most In Need: Permits
the development of a more equitable allocation system for the over
63,000 Americans awaiting organ transplants, saving hundreds of lives a
year.
First Time Funding For the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act:
Provides $75 million for one-time payments of $100,000 to hemophiliacs
who were infected with HIV by blood solids during the 1980s.
Controlling the Spread of Infectious Disease: Provides $29 million to
the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a 21 percent increase over the FY
1999 funding level, for programs dedicated to emerging infectious
diseases and improving disease surveillance systems.
Responding to the Farm Crisis
The Agriculture Appropriations bill included $8.6 billion in emergency
funds to assist our Nation's farmers and ranchers who are suffering
through the second year in a row of low commodity prices and, for many,
crop and livestock losses from severe drought and flooding. The bill
doubled annual payments to farmers of major grain crops to about $11
billion. The emergency funds include $400 million to help subsidize the
cost of crop insurance premiums and $325 million for livestock and dairy
assistance. In addition, the Administration secured an additional $2.5
billion in farm loans in final negotiations, as well as $186 million
more for nationwide crop losses -- bringing total crop loss funds to
nearly $1.4 billion, as well as $130 million to clear farm fields and
streams of debris left by flooding. The President and Vice President
remain concerned that Congress did not address the underlying issues
that exist in the wake of Freedom to Farm legislation and that more
needs to be done.
A Strong Research and Development Agenda
For six years in a row, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have
proposed substantial increases in the Federal government's research and
development portfolio to build a healthier, more prosperous, and
productive future. The final budget increases the President's "21st
Century Research Fund" for civilian research programs by more than $3
billion.
National Science Foundation: A 6.6 percent increase in support for
science and engineering research and education, including $126 million
for the Administration's "Information Technology for the 21st century"
initiative. The NSF supports nearly half of the non-medical basic
research conducted at universities.
National Institutes of Health: Provides $2.3 billion, a 15 percent
increase over FY 1999 funding levels, to build on the President's
commitment to biomedical research as a foundation for combating disease
and advancing medical technologies.
Information Technology: The final budget includes more than $80
million in funding for the Next Generation Internet, which is
connecting more than 100 universities at speeds that are up to 1,000
times faster than today's Internet. It also includes $235 million for
the Administration's "Information Technology for the 21st Century"
initiative, which will strengthen America's leadership in the high-tech
industries of the future, and accelerate the pace of discovery in all
science and engineering disciplines. Currently, IT industries account
for 1/3 of U.S. economic growth.
Defense Research: Department of Defense (DOD) support for basic and
applied research is up almost 8 percent. DOD is a leading supporter of
basic research in computer sciences, mathematics, oceanography, and
most engineering disciplines.
Increases in Science at Department of Energy: Science Programs
increased $117 million. DOE, the principal supporter of the Federal
investment in the physical sciences, has supported research that has
resulted in over 60 Nobel prizes. DOE's scientific user facilities are
used by more than 15,000 scientists to conduct frontier scientific
research, and provide the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Advanced Technology Program: President Clinton's FY 2000 budget
continues to fund ATP's research and development into cutting-edge
high-technologies. While the House proposed eliminating the program,
the final budget will allow ATP funding for an additional $51 million
in new awards. ATP supports the development of high-risk technologies
that promise significant commercial payoffs and widespread economic
benefits.
NASA - Investing in Our Future: The budget includes $13.65 billion
for NASA, an additional $100 million. The funding levels passed by the
House would have cut the NASA budget by almost $1 billion. These
investments offer the potential of new scientific breakthroughs through
an aggressive robotic series of exploration missions into the solar
system, as well as enhancing our ability to monitor important changes
in the earth's climate system, and strengthening aviation safety for
the travelling public.
Extending the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit: President
Clinton proposed to extend the research tax credit because it provides
incentives for private sector investment in research and innovation
that can help increase America's economic competitiveness and enhance
U.S. productivity. The final budget extends this research tax credit
through 2004. This long-term extension will encourage companies to
undertake new multi-year research activities, secure in the knowledge
that the 20 percent tax credit will continue to be available.
Other Highlights
Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): The final budget
provides over $4 billion for nutrition assistance to 7.4 million women,
infants, and children through the WIC program, an increase of $108
million over FY 1999. The additional funds will allow the program to
provide a monthly package of nourishing supplemental foods, nutrition
education, and health care referrals to 7.4 million low-income women,
infants, and children who are at nutritional risk -- a 25 percent
increase in participation since 1993.
Boosting Funding for Natural Disasters Such as Hurricane Floyd: The
budget provides $2.8 billion for the Federal Emergency Management
Agency's (FEMA) disaster relief fund to assist victims with repairs and
recovery from natural disasters. This includes $215 million to address
unmet housing needs resulting from Hurricane Floyd that could not
otherwise be met by Federal disaster assistance programs.
Expanding Civil Rights Enforcement: Funding for the Civil Rights
Division of Justice was expanded from $69 million in FY 1999 to $82
million in FY 2000 -- a 19 percent increase. Funding for HUD fair
housing programs was increased by $4 million - a 10 percent increase.
Largest Increase In Family Planning Services Since 1993: The
President won a nearly $25 million increase for Title X family
planning, the largest increase since 1993, bringing the program to
almost $240 million for FY 99. These grants fund family planning
clinics providing reproductive health services and clinical care to
over 5 million low-income women.
President's Food Safety Initiative: The bill provides an increase of
$59 million for the President's Food Safety Initiative, which will fund
enhanced domestic and imported food safety inspections; increased
outbreak response and traceback work; and expanded research, risk
assessment and education activities. In addition, this increase will
fund enhanced Federal-State inspection partnerships, bioscience
research, and Risk Assessment modeling and data collection to include
the pre-harvest phase for all foods.
The Final Bill Strengthens Enforcement of Labor Protections. The
final bill provides key funding increases for worker protection
programs including Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
oversight of employee pension and health plans, enforcement of wage and
hour laws, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The final
total of $1.3 billion is $105 million (9 percent) above the FY 1999
enacted level. As a result of these increases, OSHA will conduct
approximately 3,000 more compliance inspections thereby increasing the
safety and health of our Nation's workers, particularly those in
high-hazard industries. In addition, the Department of Labor also will
be able to implement new health care laws effectively and encourage
equal pay practices that will benefit our workers.
Ensuring That American Families Continue to Benefit From Tax Credits:
The budget ensures that Americans take full advantage of their personal
credits - including the child credit, the child and dependent care tax
credit, and the Hope scholarship and Lifetime Learning credits -
without restriction by the alternative minimum tax. The final budget
extends these rules for the alternative minimum tax through 2001.
Encouraging First-Time Homeowners in the District of Columbia: Extend
through 2001 the $5,000 tax credit for low- and moderate-income
first-time homebuyers who purchase homes in the District of Columbia.
This tax credit encourages homeownership and strengthens neighborhoods
in the Capital City.
DESPITE ALL THE PROGRESS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, THERE IS STILL MORE WORK
THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
November 18, 1999
In the waning days of the session, the President and Congressional
Democrats prevailed in making critical investments to advance the
President's comprehensive education agenda, put more police on the
streets, protect the environment, and strengthen America's leading role
in the world. Much work remains for the future.
x Passing Common Sense Gun Legislation: While the Administration's
successful strategy of keeping guns out of the hands of fugitives,
felons, and children has contributed to record declines in crime,
recent tragic shootings reinforce the need to protect American families
from gun violence. For months, Congress has failed to enact
common-sense gun legislation. Congress must pass a bipartisan juvenile
crime bill that includes strong gun measures to: close the gun show
loophole; require child safety locks for handguns; ban the importation
of large capacity ammunition clips; and bar violent juveniles from
owning guns for life.
x Passing a Strong, Enforceable, Patients' Bill of Rights: For over two
years, the American people have been waiting for Congress to pass a
strong, enforceable Patients Bill of Rights. During that time, the
President has exercised his executive authority to extend critical
patient protections to over 85 million Americans. The House passed such
legislation earlier this year, but the Republican leadership is
preventing an open debate on it in conference. The President continues
to urge the Congress to recommit to passing this legislation and
prevent another year from passing without action on this important
issue.
x Strengthening Social Security: The President has put forth a specific
proposal to use the benefits of fiscal discipline and debt reduction to
strengthen Social Security, extending its solvency from 2034 to 2050.
This would be a down payment on truly saving Social Security. The
Republican so-called "lockbox" legislation would not add a single day
to the life of Social Security.
x Modernizing and Strengthening Medicare: Although members of both
parties joined the President in the effort to adjust Medicare health
care provider payments, Congress failed to address the growing
challenges that Medicare faces. With the number of beneficiaries
expected to double over the next 30 years, Medicare needs adequate
resources and the tools to be as efficient as possible. A long-overdue
prescription drug benefit option is also essential for seniors and
people with disabilities.
x Reducing Youth Smoking: President Clinton and Vice President Gore
have made passage of comprehensive tobacco legislation to reduce youth
smoking a top priority in order to stop kids from smoking before they
start through a significant price increase, measures to prevent tobacco
companies from marketing to children, and critical public health
prevention and education programs. Congressional Republicans have
acted as politicians instead of parents, and killed this year's effort
to increase the excise tax on cigarettes by 55 cents a pack. Public
health experts agree that the single most effective way to cut youth
smoking is to raise the price of cigarettes.
x Expanding Federal Hate Crimes Laws: At a time when our leaders should
be doing all they can to bring Americans together, the Congress has
refused to enact legislation to punish hate crimes. The President has
called for a bill that would make it easier to prosecute crimes based
on race, color, religion and national origin; and that would also
include crimes based on sexual orientation, gender and disability.
Congress should take a strong stand against intolerance and hatred by
enacting such legislation without further delay.
x Providing for Long-term Care Assistance for the Those Chronic
Illnesses and Their Families: At the beginning of this year, the
President proposed a new, $6 billion initiative to address complex
long-term care needs, including an unprecedented $1,000 tax credit that
compensates Americans with long-term care needs of all ages or the
family caregivers who support them for their formal or informal costs.
The initiative also supports a new National Family Caregivers Support
Program that provides a range of critical services such as respite,
home care services, and information and referral. Many members of
Congress, on a bipartisan basis, introduced similar proposals, but
despite this, the Congress failed to respond and lost an opportunity to
provide critical assistance for this population.
x Providing Health Options for Older Americans: In the FY 1999 and FY
2000 budgets, the President proposed an initiative to expand health
options available for older Americans by: enabling Americans aged 62 to
65 to buy into Medicare by paying a full premium; providing vulnerable
displaced workers ages 55 and older access to Medicare by offering
those who have involuntarily lost their jobs and their health care
coverage a similar Medicare buy-in option; and providing Americans ages
55 and older whose companies reneged on their commitment to provide
retiree health benefits a new health option, by extending "COBRA"
continuation coverage until age 65. Despite the fact that the number
of uninsured Americans aged 55 to 65 is growing faster than any other
age group, Congress refused to act on this proposal.
x Encouraging Small Businesses to Offer Health Insurance: In the FY
2000 budget, the President proposed an initiative to encourage small
businesses to offer health insurance to their employees through: a new
tax credit for small businesses who offer coverage by joining
coalitions; encouraging private foundations to support coalitions by
allowing their contributions towards these organizations to be tax
exempt; offering technical assistance to small business coalitions from
the Office of Personnel Management. The President urges Congress to
provide new health insurance options for these vulnerable Americans.
x Continuing to Help People Move From Welfare to Work: In January, the
President proposed to invest an additional $1 billion in the
Welfare-to-Work program and to reauthorize the program with several
changes including helping more low-income fathers work and support
their children. The Congress enacted eligibility changes similar to
those proposed by the Administration to allow States, tribes and
communities to more effectively serve low-income fathers and
hard-to-employ welfare recipients, but failed to provide any new
funding.
x Raising the Minimum Wage: The Congress has failed to pass a clean,
straightforward bill to increase the minimum wage by $1 over two years
a step that would simply restore it to the 1982 inflation-adjusted
level. Instead, the Senate attached the minimum wage increase to
fiscally irresponsible tax giveaways for special interests. More than
11 million workers would benefit from a $1 increase in the minimum
wage. A full-time, year-round worker at the minimum wage would get a
$2,000 raise - enough for a typical family of four to buy groceries for
7 months or pay rent for 5 months.
x Expanding Trade and Providing Opportunity for Africa and the Caribbean
Basin: Congress should complete work on the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act and the Caribbean Basin legislation -- crucial to
strengthening our economic ties with Sub-Saharan Africa and our
Caribbean and Central American neighbors. This legislation would help
increase trade, enhance opportunity, and boost growth in America and
nations in Africa, the Caribbean, and Central America. The President
called for the rapid passage of the Africa legislation in the State of
the Union address and has pressed the case for these bills several
times since. The House passed this legislation overwhelming earlier
this summer, but the legislation is now awaiting Conference action.
x Supporting Southeast Europe's Economic Development and Integration:
Congress should pass the Southeast Europe Trade Preference Act
submitted by the President, which would authorize expansion of
duty-free treatment to a broad range of imports from the region for
five years. This initiative is an important part of the Stability Pact
launched by the President and other leaders last July, and is designed
to strengthen stability and prevent further conflict in the Balkans by
facilitating long-term economic growth.
x Promoting Peacekeeping: While the budget goes a long way in meeting
the anticipated requirements for funding UN peacekeeping operations
around the world, the Congress did not fund the full requests. The
shortage threatens to undermine fragile peace processes around the
world or to incur additional UN arrears. To promote peace and
encourage burden-sharing, Congress should fully fund UN peacekeeping
efforts.
x School Construction: Despite record student enrollment and a massive
maintenance backlog in our nation's schools, Congressional Republicans
again failed to enact school construction legislation. The President's
school construction proposal would provide funding to help states and
school districts build and modernize 6,000 schools nationwide. We can
not hold students to high academic standards if we do not provide them
with adequate facilities within which to learn. Congress should pass
the President's plan and invest in our nation's schoolchildren.
x Enacting Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform: This year, the
Congress failed once again to adopt real, meaningful reform of our
campaign finance system. Although the House passed a bipartisan reform
plan, a minority of the Senate blocked further action and left
unchecked the influence of moneyed special interests. The President
will continue to fight for comprehensive campaign finance reform and
believes that the Senate should act to restore the public's faith in
our political process.
x Child Care Initiative. In his State of the Union, the President
proposed an historic child care initiative to make child care better,
safer, and more affordable for America's working families. The
President's proposal included $7.5 billion over 5 years for child care
subsidies for low-income working families, and tax credits to help
millions of working families pay for child care. The Republican
Majority has refused to support these critical investments.
x Farm Assistance. The President and Vice President were pleased to get
$8.6 billion in emergency assistance to farmers and ranchers, but they
believe that Congress did not address the underlying issues that exist
in the wake of Freedom to Farm legislation. For example, most of the
assistance is not targeted to farmers who need it most, but is
available to farmers, both large and small, whether they have suffered
particular difficulty this year or not.
x Providing Fairness to Immigrant Families. Congress has failed to take
action to provide fairness to immigrant families by: restoring
important disability, health, and nutrition benefits to additional
categories of legal immigrants; restructuring the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS); approving the Administration's proposal
to support the process of democratization and stabilization now
underway in Central America and Haiti and ensure equitable treatment
for migrants from these countries; or changing the registry date to
permit long-term migrants to adjust their status.
x Continuing to Empower Communities: Urban and Rural Empowerment Zones
were funded at $70 million in 2000, $55 million for Urban Zones and $15
million for Rural Zones and Enterprise Communities. Empowerment Zones
continue to be a priority for the President and Vice President and they
are committed to supporting and obtaining funding for the Empowerment
Zones' remaining eight years. Without the full 10 years of funding,
the Round II Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities, designated
in January 1999 by the Vice President, will have difficulty
implementing their community and economic development strategies to
revitalize their communities.