Public protections, such as those dealing with food safety, safe drinking water, worker health and safety, equal educational opportunity, civil rights, motor vehicle safety, toxic pollution, the well-being of children, and health care, are under attack through Congressional initiatives to reduce or eliminate federal laws and regulations. The following organizations believe the federal government has an important role in protecting the public interest and in improving quality of life. We believe that undermining federal safeguards will cause serious harm to citizens. These Congressional initiatives also jeopardize services provided by public charities and religious and governmental entities valued by our society.

Buried in the Contract With America's rhetoric about shrinking government and rolling back red tape is a plan to undo laws and safeguards that citizens have struggled long and hard to champion. We strongly support improving laws and safeguards that protect citizens while recognizing the need to reduce unnecessary red tape. The zeal to minimize regulatory burdens, however, must be balanced with the need to ensure protections for all Americans. Accordingly, we oppose actions taken by Congress to undermine sensible safeguards.

We urge President Clinton and Congress not to let the popular cry of cutting red tape — something we all believe in — become a guise for dismantling federal safeguards that should be preserved.