Dwight D. Eisenhower photo

Veto of the Second Public Works Appropriations Bill.

September 09, 1959

To the House of Representatives:

On August 28, 1959, I returned to the Congress without my approval H.R. 7509, a bill making appropriations for civil functions administered by the Department of the Army, certain agencies of the Department of the Interior, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1960, and for other purposes.

H.R. 9105 which is now before me, is identical to H.R. 7509 in all respects (including the 67 unbudgeted projects which will ultimately cost our taxpayers more than $800 million), except that each individual project and appropriation item has been reduced by 2 ½ per cent. This only change not only fails to meet any of the objections I outlined in my message of August 28, 1959, accompanying H.R. 7509 but in addition could have the effect of impeding orderly work on going projects and result in an increase in cost instead of a saving.

Therefore, for the reasons outlined in such previous message, I am returning H .R. 9105 to the Congress without my approval.

Because the time before the probable adjournment of Congress may be too short to allow for deliberate reconsideration by the Congress of my objections, the Congress might well enact a continuing resolution, effective until January 31, 1960, so that work in progress may proceed in an orderly way.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Note: On September 10, the Congress passed the bill over the President's veto. As enacted, H.R. 9105 is Public Law 86254 (73 Stat. 491).

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Veto of the Second Public Works Appropriations Bill. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/234197

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