Clinton on Population, Part 1., Sobering News From The Real World

• Lindsey Grant
• February 1, 1995
• Forum Papers
• Forum Paper
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An NPG Forum Paper
by Lindsey Grant
February 1995

The Clinton administration is at mid-term, and the political landscape has been changed by the Republican landslide last November. This may be a good time to see what the Government has done or not done about population growth and to look ahead at what may be expected.

The writer is an erstwhile Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and Population Affairs.

As the story goes, the optimist said “this is the best of all possible worlds” and the pessimist agreed. What they meant depends on what they expected.

The Clinton administration’s performance on population issues would probably satisfy the pessimist and disappoint the optimist. On international population assistance. and measured against the preceding two administrations, it has done well. Measured against third-world needs, it has not done nearly so well. As to U.S. population growth and despite the presence in the administration of people like the Vice President and Under Secretary of State Tim Wirth — it has done almost nothing and may not recognize there is a problem.

The possibilities for the rest of the term must now be judged against the Republican victories last November and the adjustments the Democrats will make as they attempt to regain lost ground. To put the policies in the context of the problem, let us look first at what is happening to population and to the country.

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