Bill Clinton: “Development Appropriations Legislation July 18, 1995 The 1996 VA-HUD appropriations bill passed today by the House…”

“Development Appropriations Legislation July 18, 1995 The 1996 VA-HUD appropriations bill passed today by the House Appropriations Committee is unacceptable. By abolishing AmeriCorps it would eliminate opportunities for thousands of young people to serve their communities through the national service program. By dramatically slashing resources for the Environmental Protection Agency and imposing severe restrictions on that agency, the bill would decimate the Government's ability to protect the American people from air and water pollution. By cutting assistance for the Nation's homeless in half, it would punish some of the weakest and most vulnerable in our society. We need to balance the budget, and we need to cut spending to do it. But there is a right way and a wrong way. A bill so contrary to the priorities and concerns of the American people clearly represents the wrong way. I will not stand by as the Republican majority tries to impose this extreme agenda on the Nation. If this bill is presented to me in its current form, I will veto it. I call on the Congress to correct the appropriations bills now under consideration before they reach my desk, not after.”