WWC snapshot of http://www.whitehouse.gov/White_House/Accomplishments/html/accomp.html taken on Sat May 20 6:22:56 1995
Keeping Faith With America:
A Look at President Clinton's Accomplishments
During the First Two Years
Economic Progress Across the Nation
State-by-State Clickable Map
Economic Leadership and a Stronger Economy
Fighting Crime and Restoring Our Communities
- The President signed into law the
Brady Bill, which imposes a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases so that background checks can be done to help keep handguns away from criminals.
- The President's
Crime Bill
will put
100,000 new police officers on the street. More than 1,200 communities have already received grants to hire 27,000 additional officers.
- The
Crime Bill
also punishes criminals by expanding the number of offenses eligible for the death penalty and implementing the "three-strikes-and-you're-out" provision.
- And,
the Bill
banned the manufacture of 19 specific types of deadly assault weapons, while simultaneously protecting hunters' rights by exempting over 650 hunting rifles.
Strengthening Our Families: Security and Opportunity
Cutting Bureaucracy
- President Clinton has already cut the federal bureaucracy by more than 100,000 positions. Under the recommendations of the
National Performance Review, the federal bureaucracy will be reduced by 272,000 -- its lowest level since the Kennedy Administration.
- And, he reduced the White House staff by 25 percent.
Making Education A Priority
- Under
the President's Direct Student Loan program, students can borrow money directly from the government at a lower interest rate and with many flexible repayment options, including the option to repay with a percentage of their after-graduation salary. Taxpayers will save at least $4.3 billion over five years.
- In 1994, over 20,000
AmeriCorps
members tutored students, immunized children, reclaimed urban parks, and patrolled neighborhoods. In return, they earned $4,725 per year of service towards college tuition or job training.
- President Clinton signed into law
Goals 2000, a national standard of excellence for our public schools. Already, 41 states and territories have received federal grants to raise academic standards and improve schools.
- President Clinton's Safe and Drug Free Schools and Community Act and the Safe Schools Act
provide funding to schools to fight violence and drug abuse. Schools can use up to 25 percent of their funds to purchase metal detectors, develop safe zones, and hire school security personnel.
- The President's School-to-Work program
provides venture capital to spark a nationwide system for moving America's young people from high school to a job with a future. In 1994, all states received planning funds for their school-to-work program.
- Charter School legislation signed by President Clinton encourages states and localities to set up public school choice.
Expanding Markets for American Products
- The Clinton Administration forged a bipartisan coalition to pass
NAFTA, after concluding tough negotiations on side agreements covering workers' rights, the environment, and import surges. Exports to Mexico rose 23 percent in the first 11 months of 1994.
- President Clinton led the fight to pass
GATT, which lowers tariffs worldwide by $744 billion over ten years -- the largest international tax cut in history. GATT cuts tariffs on manufactured goods by more than one-third overall and eliminates tariffs in major markets in a number of sectors in which the U.S. is particularly competitive.
Protecting Our Environment
- Under President Clinton, the EPA launched its
"Common Sense Initiative"
to make health protection cheaper and smarter by focusing on results rather than one-size-fits-all regulations.
- The President's Northwest Forest Plan
is putting communities in the Northwest back to work, while conserving ancient forests.
- After decades of conflict, the Clinton Administration negotiated a consensus plan to
protect California's most valuable natural resource -- its water. The San Francisco and Delta estuary supplies drinking water to two-thirds of the state's people, provides irrigation for 45 percent of the nation's fruits and vegetables, and sustains 300 aquatic species.
Promoting Security and Freedom Abroad
- President Clinton hosted the signing of the
Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles
in September, 1993, and the signing of the Israeli-Jordan Washington Principles in July, 1994 -- historic agreements between the leaders of Israel and her Arab neighbors to settle differences by peaceful means.
- To enhance European security and stability, the Clinton Administration proposed the
Partnership for Peace program, offering former Soviet republics and Central/East European states closer ties with NATO. Already, 22 nations have signed on, since NATO's adoption of the program in January, 1994.
- As of May, 1994,
nuclear missiles in Russia and the United States are no longer targeted against any country. And, as a result of other Clinton Administration efforts, the
Ukraine is ahead of schedule in reaching the goal of transferring 1,500 nuclear warheads
to Russia for dismantlement.
- President Clinton peacefully restored democracy to Haiti, curbing the violence that threatened tens of thousands of Haitians, securing our borders, and upholding our commitments and the commitments made to us in the process.
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