I welcome the fact that the Vietnamese have finally begun to keep their promise to provide information on our men missing in action in Southeast Asia.

Approval of this rescission proposal would reduce Federal spending by $83 million through 1979.

H.R. 12455 embodies a major compromise on a key issue which led to that veto.

I am hopeful that this tentative step indicates the willingness of the Congress to consider seriously the elimination of the matching requirement for all Federal social services funds under Title XX.

I call upon them to do so without further delay.

The integrity of the family is of paramount importance, but supportive government action is acceptable as long as it does not interfere with the family role.

I do hereby designate Monday, October 11, 1976, as Columbus Day.

I have signed H.R. 12261, a bill 'To extend the period during which the Council of the District of Columbia is prohibited from revising the criminal laws of the District.'

It would simplify program operations and remove many of the burdensome and restrictive Federal requirements.

We expect that the United States will be provided with a full accounting without further delay of all Americans missing in action in Vietnam.

No government has the power to eliminate tragedy from human experience, but government can and government should act quickly to minimize the pain of a great disaster and help to begin the healing process.

Today, I am signing a bill which provides legislative authority for the compensation of personal and property damage sustained by the victims of the flood.

H.R. 12455, by postponing the Federal standards until October 1, 1977, will enable the States to operate day care programs for more than another year, free of onerous and costly Federal intrusion.

It is callous and cruel to exploit human suffering in the hope of diplomatic advantage.

This is a better bill than the one which first crossed my desk.

The prohibition on the Council's changing the Criminal Code is necessary because completion of the study for the comprehensive revision and recodification of the Criminal Code by the D.C. Law Revision Commission is a prerequisite to the…

I again urge the Congress to act promptly to give my proposal a full and favorable hearing.

Ensuring adequate day care for children is an important social service.

I ask the Congress to give prompt consideration to the proposed rescission.

The constitutional veto power has been used by me as well as my predecessors with one concern in mind--to protect the American people from unrealistic responses to their very real needs.

No major revision of the District's criminal laws should be undertaken without the benefit of the Commission's recommendations.

Ensuring an adequate day care bill for children is an important social service.

I sign a new and better child day care bill, the result of cooperation between the Congress and my administration.

This vital aid will continue.

Normalization of relations cannot take place until Vietnam accounts for all our men missing in action.