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Major Cannabis Producers. While NOTE: Identical letters were sent to Jesse Helms, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, the Phil- chairman, and Joseph R. Biden, Jr., ranking mem- ippines, and South Africa are important can- ber, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; Ted nabis producers, they do not appear on this Stevens, chairman, and Robert C. Byrd, ranking member, Senate Committee on Appropriations; list because I have determined, pursuant to Bob Livingston, chairman, and David R. Obey, section 481(e)(2) of the Foreign Assistance ranking member, House Committee on Appro- Act, that in all cases the illicit cannabis is priations; and Benjamin A. Gilman, chairman, and either consumed locally or exported to coun- Lee H. Hamilton, ranking member, House Com- tries other than the United States, and thus mittee on International Relations. This letter was such illicit cannabis production does not sig- released by the Office of the Press Secretary on nificantly affect the United States. December 7. Central Asia. United States Government agencies this year again conducted reviews of potential cultivation sites in Tajikistan and Remarks on Efforts To Combat Uzbekistan, traditional opium poppy growing Medicare Fraud areas of the former Soviet Union. These re- December 7, 1998 views indicated no evidence of significant opium poppy cultivation. Thank you. I would like to welcome you Finally, I would note that geography all here today and thank Margaret Dixon for those fine remarks. I thank Deborah makes Central America a logical conduit and Briceland-Betts for representing the Older transshipment area for South American Women’s League so well, and Nancy-Ann drugs bound for Mexico and the United Min DeParle for the great job she does as States, and that there has been evidence of our HCFA Administrator. I welcome our increased trafficking activity in this region friend George Kourpias and representatives over the past year. Its location between Co- from the National Council of Senior Citizens. lombia and Mexico, combined with thou- And I want to say a special word of appre- sands of miles of coastline, the availability of ciation to Senator Tom Harkin, who has been a number of container-handling ports in on top of this issue for a very, very long time, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras, the and has long needed more support from ad- presence of the Pan-American Highway, and ministrations. And we certainly tried to give limited law enforcement capability, have him ours, but he has been a real trailblazer, made the isthmus attractive to the drug and we thank him. trade. Hurricane Mitch has disrupted traffic I’d like to also thank, as others have, the flow through the region, but over the longer HHS and especially June Gibbs Brown, the term resumption or even an increase in traf- Inspector General, and Mike Mangano, the ficking activity remains possible. Deputy Inspector General, who is here Consequently, I am concerned about drug today. trafficking through Costa Rica, El Salvador, I’d also like to say one other word about Honduras, and Nicaragua. The appropriate Senator Gore, Sr., who was mentioned by agencies will continue to compile data on Nancy-Ann. Al Gore, Sr., was a leader in the drug flows and their effect on the United development and the passage of the original States in order to determine whether any are Medicare bill over 30 years ago. And that major drug-transit countries. At the same is one of the many, many things we remem- time, I expressly reiterate my commitment ber him for at this time of his passing. to support the efforts of these governments For more than 30 years now, Medicare has to recover from the ravages of Hurricane been more than a Government program. It Mitch, and to ensure that drug traffickers do has been a way that we could honor our obli- not take advantage of this tragedy to make gations to our parents and our grandparents, inroads into the region. an expression of the old profound American Sincerely, belief that the bonds of mutual love and sup- port among the generations must remain William J. Clinton strong. Any threat, therefore, to the integrity

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of Medicare is a threat to these bonds. And Therefore, we are using new authority we that is one of the main reasons that our ad- fought for to create new weapons in the fight ministration has worked so hard to strength- against fraud. Beginning this spring we will en Medicare. empower new, specialized contractors, Medi- The balanced budget bill I signed last year care fraud hunters, who will focus on waste, extended the life of the Medicare Trust Fund fraud, and abuse. These new fraud hunters, for a decade. We also established a commis- by tracking down scams and waste, can bring sion currently working to help Medicare real savings to Medicare and strengthen the meet the needs of the baby boom generation system for the 21st century. and the rising costs that inevitably come as I’m also requiring all Medicare contractors we all live longer and longer and require to notify the Government immediately when more health care. they learn of any evidence of fraud, so that It is a troubling financial problem, but as we can detect patterns of fraud quickly and a social matter it is a happy challenge. It is take swift action to stop them. And I’m asking what I would call a high-class problem that HCFA to report back to me early next year we are all living longer and longer. But it with a comprehensive plan to fight waste, does present us with certain real challenges fraud, and abuse further in the Medicare which we have to face, and I look forward program. to getting the report from Senator Breaux In the fight against Medicare fraud, Con- and the Medicare Commission, and to work- gress must also do its part. And I am encour- aged by the bipartisan oversight hearings ing on a bipartisan basis with the next Con- being held in Chicago this week by Senators gress to resolve this important matter. Collins and Durbin. When it returns next Today I’m announcing additional steps to year, I’ll ask Congress to pass legislation that strengthen Medicare by fighting the threat can save Medicare another $2 billion over of Medicare fraud. Every year, Medicare is the next 5 years: First, legislation that will cheated out of billions of dollars, money that allow us to empower our new fraud hunters translates into higher taxes on working Amer- to spot overpayments and keep crooked med- icans, higher copayments in premiums for el- ical service providers from getting into the derly Medicare recipients. This has become, Medicare system to start with. as I said, especially significant as we grow Second, the legislation will allow Medicare older and more and more of us become eligi- to pay much lower rates for prescription ble for Medicare. medications. Under current law, Medicare I’m proud of what we have already done loses hundreds of millions of dollars each to fight fraud and abuse and waste. Since year by paying as much as 10 times more 1993 we’ve assigned more Federal prosecu- than the private sector does for certain drugs. tors and FBI agents to fight health care It’s just wrong. fraud. We’ve increased prosecutions by over Third, the legislation will force private in- 60 percent, convictions by 240 percent, saved surers to pay claims that they are legally re- $20 billion in health care claims. Money that sponsible for, so that Medicare does not get would have lined the pockets of scam artists stuck with the bill. This happens more often now is helping to preserve the Medicare than you would think. Trust Fund and to provide high-quality, af- Fourth, legislation will allow us to crack fordable health care. down on medical providers, particularly But there is still more we can do. The pri- those claiming to deliver mental health care, vate sector health care contractors that are who bill for services they never, in fact, pro- responsible for fighting waste, fraud, and vide, a large and unfortunately, growing abuse too often are not living up to their re- problem, according to our recent reports. sponsibilities. We recently learned that one- By passing these commonsense measures fourth of those contractors have never re- to fight Medicare waste and fraud, Congress ported a single case of fraud, even though can do more than help save taxpayers’ the Inspector General is quite certain that money. It can demonstrate a bipartisan de- fraud is pervasive in this area. sire to preserve and strengthen Medicare for

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the future. If we take these actions now, we Proclamation 7157—Death of Albert can help to assure that the system that has Gore, Sr. served our parents and grandparents so well December 7, 1998 will be there to serve our children and grand- children well into the 21st century. By the President of the United States Thanks to the advocates who are here— of America Senator Harkin and others—I’m confident that is exactly what we will do next year. A Proclamation Thank you very much, and happy holidays. Albert Gore, Sr., was the embodiment of everything public service ought to be. The Nation has lost a great patriot and a true role NOTE: The President spoke at 12:50 p.m. in Room 450 of the Old Executive Office Building. In his model for young people everywhere. remarks, he referred to Margaret Dixon, imme- As a mark of respect for the memory of diate past president, American Association of Re- Albert Gore, Sr., former Senator from the tired Persons; Deborah Briceland-Betts, executive State of Tennessee, I hereby order, by the director, Older Women’s League; and George J. authority vested in me as President by the Kourpias, president, National Council of Senior Constitution and the laws of the United Citizens. States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military Statement on International Maritime posts and naval stations, and on all naval ves- Organization Action To Protect the sels of the Federal Government in the Dis- Northern Right Whale trict of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions on December 7, 1998 Tuesday, December 8, 1998. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff on Today’s vote by the International Maritime that day at all United States embassies, lega- Organization (IMO) to strengthen protec- tions, consular offices, and other facilities tions for the northern right whale is a vital abroad, including all military facilities and step to ensure the survival of these majestic naval vessels and stations. but endangered creatures. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set Like many other marine mammals, the my hand this seventh day of December, in northern right whale once was hunted nearly the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and to extinction. The 300 or so that survive ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the spend much of the year in waters off Cape United States of America the two hundred Cod and off the Georgia and Florida coasts. and twenty-third. Biologists believe the greatest human threat they face today is collisions with large ships. William J. Clinton In April I instructed our representatives to the IMO to seek strong measures to ad- [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:54 a.m., December 8, 1998] dress this threat. Under our proposal, ap- proved unanimously today by the IMO, com- NOTE: This proclamation was published in the mercial ships entering the whale’s calving Federal Register on December 9. and feeding grounds will be required to re- port by radio to the U.S. Coast Guard, which will relay back the latest information on the Executive Order 13106— whales’ locations and advice on avoiding col- Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay lisions. and Delegation of a Federal Pay Today’s action by the IMO demonstrates Administration Authority once again that through international co- December 7, 1998 operation we can restore and protect our pre- cious oceans and the magnificent diversity of By the authority vested in me as President life they sustain. by the Constitution and the laws of the

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