Statement on the Ninety-third Congress.

INASMUCH AS I was elected to the 93d Congress and was part of it for half its term, any assessment I make of its accomplishments upon adjournment sine die cannot be entirely objective. But I will always be grateful for the personal friendship and courtesies Members of this Congress have shown to me in three different official capacities and for the confidence they have demonstrated in confirming both me and my subsequent nominee for the Vice Presidency.

The legislative accomplishments of the 93d Congress have been less than I had hoped, but perhaps that is the perspective of everyone at this end of Pennsylvania Avenue, and certainly this has been far from an ordinary session. Among the measures for which I do commend and congratulate the Congress are trade reform, pension reform, housing and community development, mass transit, assistance for the temporarily jobless, deepwater ports, creation of the new Energy Research and Development Administration, and strengthening the antitrust laws.

In my first message as President, I told the Congress that "we have work to do." Much has been done, but much more remains. I wish the departing Members a warm farewell and all a happy holiday season. I look forward to the coming Congress and the New Year with the mixture of challenge and hope that the always-unfinished agenda of our Nation inspires in those who serve it in all its branches.