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Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / Aug. 2 1603 ance has been encountered to our efforts to announcements we make today: Congress- date and none is expected. man Gene Taylor from Mississippi, Con- United States Armed Forces will remain gressman Billy Tauzin from Louisiana, Con- in Rwanda only as long as necessary to assist gressman Bobby Scott from Virginia, and the UNHCR in establishing an effective dis- Congresswoman Lynn Schenk and Congress- tribution mechanism for humanitarian relief man Bob Filner from California. Thank you support to the Rwandan people. While it is for your help. Would you stand? [Applause] not possible to estimate precisely how long I'd like to begin by thanking Doug and it will take to satisfy this requirement, we Richard Vortman, NASSCO's CEO, who is believe that prolonged operations will not be also here, because they gave me one of those necessary. seminal experiences you have once in a while We do not intend that U.S. Armed Forces in life that takes an idea from your head to deployed to Rwanda become involved in hos- your heart. When you know something and tilities. Nonetheless, a majority of the ap- you know you ought to do it, that's one thing. proximately 200 personnel deployed will be But when you feel it, it's another thing alto- assigned to provide force protection and as- gether. sure security of the Kigali airport. These se- They stopped work one day in May of curity forces are equipped and ready to take 1992, before I was even the nominee of my such measures as may be needed to accom- party for President, so that I could speak to plish their humanitarian mission and defend nearly 4,000 of their people and so that I themselves if necessary. could listen to them. I could see them work- I have taken these actions pursuant to my ing together, struggling together, trying to constitutional authority to conduct our for- compete in the global economy, building the eign relations and as Commander in Chief only commercial ship then being built any- and Chief Executive. I am providing this re- where in the United States of America. They port consistent with the War Powers Resolu- made me feel welcome, but they also made tion in accordance with my desire that the sure I was aware of what the stakes were Congress be fully informed. I look forward and what the issue was and how this was yet to cooperating with the Congress in this ef- one more example of how we could compete fort to relieve human suffering. and win in an area critical to our future if Sincerely, only we had the policies, the tools, and the William J. Clinton drive to do it. I wish all the people that I met that day NOTE: Identical letters were sent to Thomas S. could be in this room today. I'm afraid the Foley, Speaker of the House of Representatives, fire marshal would evict us all if I had tried and Robert C. Byrd, President pro tempore of to achieve that. But they are the people who the Senate. This letter was released by the Office really taught me about this issue, and they of the Press Secretary on August 2. are the people, they and the millions like them, for whom I fought both before I got Remarks Announcing United States here and for whom I try to fight every day Shipbuilding Industry Initiatives in this office. August 2, 1994 This is a great day for our American jobs, for our economy, for our shipbuilding indus- Thank you. Secretary PenÄ a, Secretary try. It's a great day for the idea that if we Brown, Ambassador Kantor, Admiral all work together we can figure out how to Herberger, John Dane, and Doug Ballis. solve our problems even in difficult budg- Thanks for saving the sign. etary times. I'd like to introduce the Members of the Two years ago, every ship in America House who are here who supported this ini- under construction except one was destined tiative and who have made a major contribu- for defense, every one. And now we know tion to what we're doing and obviously will that while our United States naval power is be needed in the months and years ahead still unsurpassed in the world and must re- and whose districts will be affected by the main so, we cannot allow that one commer- VerDate 14-MAY-98 12:40 May 26, 1998 Jkt 010199 PO 00001 Frm 00023 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 C:\TERRI\P31AU4.002 INET03 1604 Aug. 2 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 cial vessel I saw under construction in San deficit. We're on the verge of getting 3 years Diego become a symbol of the past. of deficit reduction in a row for the first time We know that one of the things that we since Truman was President. We have seen needed most in 1992 and one of the things 3.8 million new jobs come into this economy, we're trying most to do today is to have a even as we are scaling back the Federal work strategy for restructuring our defense indus- force so that by the end of this budget cycle tries so that they can fulfill a dual purpose, it will be the smallest it's been since Presi- let me say, not so they can get out of defense dent Kennedy was here in the White House. work, because we will continue to need major The unemployment rate has gone down by investments in defense technologies for the 11¤2 percent, and we are making real progress foreseeable future, but so that with defense in bringing manufacturing back. Between being scaled back, those kinds of folks can 1989 and 1992, we lost 1.4 million manufac- stay in business by being successful commer- turing jobs. Now we have 104,000 more than cially as well. we had on the day I was inaugurated. When I ran for this job, when the economy I am proud of these accomplishments of was going down and the deficit was going the American people, getting the American up, it was obvious to me that there were economy in order by getting our economic many reasons for that, but one of them was house in order, by instituting lifetime edu- that the Government had no strategy. What cation and training programs that will have was our strategy to preserve aerospace, our to embrace all of our people from the first biggest export? What was our strategy when day of preschool to the last day they work. it came to the shipbuilding industry? What Two years ago, Doug and a lot of other was our strategy to help support our auto- people in NASSCO said, ``This has been a makers when they had made radical changes great day, but don't forget us if you're elect- all through the 1980's so that they could be ed.'' And we haven't forgotten them, but more competitive again? What was our strat- egy? we've got to keep following through. And we And the truth is, we didn't have one. Well, have to think of this as a permanent partner- now we do have one. We have strategies for ship. I believe that if you look at the America those industries and for others and for our that we're moving toward, the Government economy. We've concluded trade agree- will adopt a less regulatory role, the Govern- ments that expanded the barriers of world ment will become a smaller percentage of trade and enabled us to do more: NAFTA, our gross national product in the amount of the GATT we're trying to pass in Congress money we spend. But the Government will now, all designed to help hard-working mid- have to be there in the competition in the dle class Americans get ahead because they'll global economy of the 21st century in part- have the economic opportunities to do it. nership with the private sector to make sure I've said this many times, but I want to that our people, when they're doing the right repeat it again: The mission of the United things, have a chance to compete and win States at the close of the 20th century must and have a chance to seize the technologies be to keep the American dream alive in the of the 21st century. 21st century. And to do it, we have to restore Let me just make a couple of other re- the economy, rebuild our communities at marks about that. Secretary Perry could not home, empower individuals to take respon- be here today with our other Cabinet mem- sibilities for themselves, put Government bers. But I do want to say that the Defense back on the side of ordinary people, create Department, I think, has done an exemplary a world of greater peace and prosperity. That job in promoting defense conversion. Sec- is what we must do. retary Perry has recently awarded the first And that is exactly what we are celebrating $30 million in matching grants out of a total here today, not just four projects for four of $220 million we'll invest over the next 5 worthy companies with several thousand years to apply advanced technologies to make worthy American workers. In the last 19 our shipbuilding industry even more com- months, we have dramatically reduced the petitive.

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