THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Jefferson City, Missouri)
_______________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 20,
2000
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today, I am signing a measure that will grant Congress still one more
in a series of extensions it needs to finish its work. Unfortunately,
Congress has shown little urgency toward completing its work even though we
are now three weeks into the new fiscal year and some of our most essential
priorities, especially in the area of education, have yet to be addressed.
As of today, Congress has failed to make a commitment to reducing
class size and repairing our crumbling schools -- two priorities crucial
for our nation?s students. I urge Congress to approve our proposed tax
credits to help local communities with new school construction. In
addition, Congress should invest in accountability, to turn around or shut
down failing schools and open them under new management, in improving
teacher quality, and in expanding after-school efforts that help children
learn in a safe environment.
Congress must get to work to address these and other key priorities.
The measure I am signing today ends in five days. Congress should complete
its work by Wednesday, when this stop-gap funding measure expires. If
Congress fails to complete its work by then, I will only grant additional
extensions one day at a time. Congress needs to stay in town and complete
its business without additional delay.
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