Statement on Senate Action Sustaining Veto of a Public Works Employment Bill.

I AM pleased that the Senate of the United States has sustained my veto of H.R. 5247, the Public Works Employment Act of 1975. Their action this afternoon in sustaining this veto is commendable, and those Members of the Congress who stood firm against enormous political pressures in favor of this bill deserve the appreciation and gratitude of all Americans.

As I said last Friday in my veto message to the House of Representatives on this bill,¹ the best and most effective way to create new jobs is to pursue balanced economic policies that encourage the growth of the private sector without risking a new round of inflation. This is the core of my economic policy, and I believe that the steady improvements in the economy over the last half year on both the unemployment and inflation fronts bear witness to its essential wisdom. I will continue this basic approach in dealing with the economy, because it is sound and it is working.

¹ See Item 83.