Statement by Senator Bob Dole Challenging Clinton to Release Money Owed California

Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole today released the following statement from San Diego, California:

"Mr. President, on this your 28th visit to California you have a golden opportunity to do more than just sight-see and shake hands, you have the opportunity to correct your pattern of California neglect. Your first two budgets failed to provide funding to reimburse states, including California, for the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrants. It took Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and myself to stand up for what was right and fight for a 130 million dollar appropriation. In the years following, Congress saw the light with my direction and appropriated an additional one billion dollars for fiscal year 1996 and 1997. Tragically, your Department of Justice has sat on most of this money -- the little that has trickled out came 18 months too late.

"Today, President Clinton, I call upon you to release the remaining one billion dollars so the people of California and other states can stop paying the price of your neglect in the form of higher taxes and fewer services.