IN THE PUBLIC WORKS Appropriation Act, 1959, the Congress has included approximately $39 million in funds to initiate construction on 65 unbudgeted new project starts that will ultimately cost almost $700 million. Adding nearly $700 million to the already heavy future commitments for federal water resources projects is but another instance of irresponsibility in the expenditure of public funds. I am compelled to approve the Act, however, because it appropriates essential funds for continuing work on river and harbor, flood control, and reclamation projects that were started in previous years.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Note: The Public Works Appropriation Act, 1959, is Public Law 85-863 (72 Stat. 1572).
This statement was released at the U. S. Naval Base, Newport, R. I.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Statement by the President Upon Signing the Public Works Appropriation Act. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/233963