pd06de99 Exchange With Reporters in Seattle...

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    I regret that a provision is included that would amend the recently 
enacted Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2000, that 
could limit the access of Federal government employees to contraceptive 
coverage.

Foreign Operations Bill and Other International Affairs Appropriations 
and Authorizations

    I am pleased that we were able to reach bipartisan agreement with 
the Congress on a level of funding for international affairs programs 
that supports our continued engagement on key global issues. Most 
notably, we were able to agree to meet our obligations to the United 
Nations, which will allow us to keep our vote in the General Assembly. 
We also obtained additional funding for international peacekeeping 
efforts seeking to redress the instability and suffering caused by 
conflicts in East Timor, Kosovo, and Africa.
    The bill includes my full request for the Wye River Agreement, which 
will support our partners in the Middle East as they accelerate their 
historic attempt to secure a permanent peace. We gained bilateral 
funding for the new Cologne debt reduction initiative, as well as 
agreement from the Congress to allow the International Monetary Fund to 
use existing resources to finance its portion of the initiative, 
allowing us to begin to lessen the crushing debt burden that many of the 
world's poorest nations face as they try to implement difficult economic 
and democratic reforms.
    Unfortunately, the bill also includes a provision on international 
family planning that I have strongly opposed throughout my 
Administration. This is a one-time provision that imposes additional 
restrictions on international family planning groups. However, I 
insisted that the Congress allow for a Presidential waiver provision, 
which I have exercised today.
    I have instructed USAID to implement the new restrictions on family 
planning money in such a way as to minimize to the extent possible the 
impact on international family planning efforts and to respect the 
rights of citizens to speak freely on issues of importance in their 
countries, such as the rights of women to make their own reproductive 
decisions. As I have stated before, I do not believe it is appropriate 
to limit foreign NGOs' use of their own money, or their ability to 
participate in the democratic process in their own countries. Thus, I 
will oppose inclusion of this restriction in any future appropriations 
bill.
    The bill takes a step in the right direction in terms of paying our 
dues and our debts to the United Nations and other international 
organizations. The bill includes most of the funds requested for U.N. 
arrears, as well as the United Nations Reform Act, which authorizes 
payment of these arrears contingent upon certain U.N. reforms. My 
Administration is committed to making sure that all of our debts are 
paid, and, while doing so, pressing for reforms that will make the U.N. 
more efficient and effective.
    International peacekeeping activities in this bill are funded at a 
level of $500 million, $300 million above the level in the bill that I 
vetoed. This additional funding is crucial and will support the United 
States' response to emergent peacekeeping requirements in Kosovo, Asia, 
and Africa. In each of these places, the United States has worked with 
allies and friends to end conflicts that have claimed countless innocent 
lives and thrown whole regions into turmoil. This funding will help 
America do its part to make and keep the peace in troubled regions.
    On a number of other critical foreign policy priorities, we were 
able to achieve bipartisan agreements that will directly affect the 
lives of Americans and others alike. We fully funded a new initiative 
that will significantly expand our efforts to stem the spread of HIV/
AIDS in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. We significantly 
increased funding for programs aimed at reducing the threat of weapons 
of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union and elsewhere. We agreed 
to a significant package of assistance to Kosovo and Southeastern Europe 
that will help to solidify the fragile peace that we and our NATO allies 
have secured. We initiated

[[Page 2463]]

new programs that will help to provide alternatives to the child labor 
practices that are still too prevalent in much of the world. I am 
particularly pleased the bill provides my full request for embassy 
security to protect the men and women who serve our country abroad.
    There are still important commitments and goals that were not 
adequately addressed in this bill. I am disappointed that we did not 
achieve all of the funding that we need to fully implement the 
multilateral portion of the Cologne debt initiative, and that we were 
not able to meet our commitments to provide multilateral environmental 
assistance through the Global Environment Facility. However, in total, 
this bill demonstrates that the bipartisan consensus that America must 
remain engaged in global affairs, which has guided our interaction with 
the rest of the world since the end of the Second World War, is still 
very much alive and well, and I am hopeful that it will continue to 
guide our foreign policy into the 21st Century.
    I continue to believe that various provisions prohibiting 
implementation of the Kyoto Protocol in this bill are unnecessary, as my 
Administration has no intent of implementing the Protocol prior to 
ratification. Furthermore, I will consider activities that meet our 
responsibilities under the ratified U.N. Framework Convention on Climate 
Change to be consistent with this provision. Finally, to the extent 
these provisions could be read to prevent the United States from 
negotiating with foreign governments about climate change, it would be 
inconsistent with my constitutional authority. Accordingly, I will 
construe this provision as not detracting from my authority to engage in 
the many activities, both formal and informal, that constitute 
negotiations relating to climate change.
    This legislation includes a number of provisions in the various Acts 
incorporated in it regarding the conduct of foreign affairs that raise 
serious constitutional concerns. These provisions would direct or burden 
my negotiations with foreign governments and international 
organizations, as well as intrude on my ability to maintain the 
confidentiality of sensitive diplomatic negotiations. Similarly, some 
provisions would constrain my Commander in Chief authority and the 
exercise of my exclusive authority to receive ambassadors and to conduct 
diplomacy. Other provisions raise concerns under the Appointments and 
Recommendation Clauses. My Administration's objections to most of these 
and other provisions have been made clear in previous statements of 
Administration policy and other communications to the Congress. Wherever 
possible, I will construe these provisions to be consistent with my 
constitutional prerogatives and responsibilities and where such a 
construction is not possible, I will treat them as not interfering with 
those prerogatives and responsibilities.

District of Columbia Bill

    With respect to the District of Columbia bill, I am pleased that the 
majority and minority in the Congress were able to come together to pass 
a version that I can sign. While I continue to object to remaining 
riders that violate the principles of home rule, some of the highly 
objectionable provisions that would have intruded upon local citizens' 
right to make decisions about local matters have been modified from 
previous versions of the bill. My Administration will continue to 
strenuously urge the Congress to keep such riders out of the FY 2001 
D.C. Appropriations Bill.
    I commend the Congress for providing the Federal funds I requested 
for the District of Columbia. The bill includes essential funding for 
District Courts and Corrections and the D.C. Offender Supervision Agency 
and provides requested funds for a new tuition assistance program for 
District of Columbia residents. The bill also includes funding to 
promote the adoption of children in the District's foster care system, 
to support the Children's National Medical Center, to assist the 
Metropolitan Police Department in eliminating open-air drug trafficking 
in the District, and for drug testing and treatment, among other 
programs.

Interior and Related Agencies Bill

    With respect to the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 
bill, I commend the Congress for agreeing on an acceptable version--one 
that does not include most of the highly objectionable provisions that

[[Page 2464]]

would harm the environment and benefit special interest groups by 
allowing the inappropriate use of national forests and other public 
lands and resources.
    In particular, we have reached a fair compromise on millsite claims 
under the 1872 Mining Law. Hardrock mining operations under existing 
approved plans of operations, as well as applications for new mining 
plans filed by the date of the Interior Solicitor's Opinion of November 
7, 1997, would go forward without the Department of the Interior 
applying the five-acre-per-mining-claim millsite limitation. The 
Department of the Interior would impose this limitation on plans for new 
hardrock mining operations filed after November 7, 1997; it would also 
impose the limitation on amended plans of operations filed after 
November 7, 1997, that add millsite acreage.
    Our agreement also will allow final rules to take effect in the near 
future that will provide a fair return to the taxpayers for the 
development of Federal oil resources; and will ensure more effective 
environmental protection in hardrock mining on Federal lands.
    This bill provides two-thirds of the funds I requested for my Lands 
Legacy initiative and represents a significant improvement over prior-
year funding, allowing us to protect such irreplaceable national 
treasures as the Baca Ranch in New Mexico, the Everglades in Florida, 
wilderness lands in the California Desert, and Civil War battlefield 
sites that are threatened by urban sprawl. There is also adequate 
support given to the Clean Water Action Plan. I am especially pleased 
with the additional funding for the Forest Service and for abandoned 
mine lands reclamation, which would make significant progress in 
addressing acid mine drainage and watershed problems in the Appalachian 
region. I look forward to working with the Congress next year to provide 
full and permanent funding for my Lands Legacy proposal, including full 
Federal and State funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
    My Administration has also been able to secure additional funding 
for energy conservation, the single largest component of my Climate 
Change Technology Initiative, which will help us to form the 
partnerships with industry that are vital to the development of a new 
generation of ultra-efficient cars, more efficient and affordable 
housing, and more efficient, less-polluting industrial processes. This 
progress will help us to address the threat of global warming 
economically and practically.
    I commend the Congress for the historic $157.2 million increase for 
Indian health, which is only slightly below the $172 million increase 
the Administration sought for the Indian Health Service. This funding 
increase represents a continuing demonstration of the Federal commitment 
to improve the health status of Native Americans and Alaska natives. I 
also commend the Congress for the removal of an objectionable rider that 
would have infringed on tribal sovereignty, and for providing specific 
funding to accommodate new contracts with tribes.
    Although I am disappointed that the Congress has failed to increase 
funding for the National Endowment for the Arts for the eighth straight 
year, I am pleased with the generally positive debate and the first 
increase in 4 years in funding for the National Endowment for the 
Humanities.
    The bill also contains language on the American Heritage Rivers 
initiative. I believe that the congressional language is unnecessary and 
unfortunate. I will direct the Departments funded by this bill, within 
existing laws and authorities, to continue to support and undertake 
community-oriented services or environmental projects on rivers I have 
recognized as part of the initiative.
    By increasing critical funding for land conservation efforts and 
removing harmful environmental provisions, the legislation represents a 
step forward in efforts to protect the environment and manage Federal 
lands and resources responsibly.

Disaster Assistance

    I am pleased that the bill includes over $500 million in additional 
funds for our Nation's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities to help 
them recover from natural disasters, particularly this year's 
hurricanes. These funds will help farmers clear their streams and fields 
for next year's crop, just as the $2.5 billion in loans provided in the 
bill will help them secure the financing they

[[Page 2465]]

need for planting. Vitally needed funds are included to help low-income 
rural families and farm laborers repair and replace housing damaged by 
Hurricane Floyd, and low-interest loans will be available to repair and 
replace farm structures and equipment lost in the storm. In addition, 
$186 million is included for additional crop loss payments across the 
country, including areas in the East that suffered through one of the 
worst droughts in memory. The bill also provides funding to implement 
the mandatory livestock price reporting authority included in the 
Agriculture Appropriations Act, which will make the livestock market 
more transparent and particularly help small producers get a fair price 
for their livestock in the market.

Authorization Bills/Other Issues

    The bill also includes a provision that would delay the Department 
of Health and Human Services's Organ Procurement and Transplantation 
Network Final Rule for a minimum of 42 days from the bill's effective 
date. This Final Rule is in response to my Administration's belief that 
the current organ allocation policies by the Organ Procurement and 
Transplantation Network are inequitable because patients with similar 
severities of illness are treated differently, depending on where they 
may live or at which transplant center they may be listed.
    The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act--part of the Intellectual 
Property and Communications Omnibus Reform Act of 1999--will increase 
the ability of satellite companies to compete against cable companies, 
and will result in more customer choice, lower prices, and increased 
access to local news and information. This Act puts the TV remote 
control back into consumers' hands and competition at their fingertips. 
In addition, the patent reform legislation that the Administration has 
fought for will help meet the needs of America's inventors and 
entrepreneurs. It strengthens protection in a number of ways: it extends 
the term of a patent when there is an administrative delay in the patent 
process; it requires the timely domestic publication of patent 
applications that are also filed abroad; and it reinvents the Patent and 
Trademark Office as a performance-based organization to better serve 
America's entrepreneurs and innovators.
    Unfortunately, the Congress did not fund my additional request to 
protect the Nation's critical computer and information based 
infrastructures from a growing threat of cyber attack from hostile 
nations, terrorists, or criminals.
    In order that $68 million in interest accrued by the Abandoned Mine 
Land Fund (to be transferred to the United Mine Workers of America 
Combined Benefits Fund--designated by the Congress as an emergency 
requirement) not be scored against the discretionary spending caps, I 
hereby designate that amount as an emergency requirement pursuant to 
section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 
Control Act of 1985, as amended. I will shortly be designating other 
funds in this legislation as emergency requirements.
    Finally, there are several provisions in the bill that purport to 
require congressional approval before Executive Branch execution of 
aspects of the bill. I will interpret such provisions to require 
notification only, since any other interpretation would contradict the 
Supreme Court ruling in INS vs. Chadha.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House
November 29, 1999.

Note: H.R. 3194, approved November 29, was assigned Public Law No. 106-
113. This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
November 30.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 2465-2466]
 
Monday, December 6, 1999
 
Volume 35--Number 48
Pages 2453-2515
 
Week Ending Friday, December 3, 1999
 
Memorandum on an International Family Planning Waiver

November 29, 1999

Memorandum for the Secretary of State

Subject: International Family Planning Waiver

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