US Presidency
1971

Now the time has come to take a new direction, and once again to introduce a new and more creative balance to our approach to government. So let us put the money where the needs are. And let us put the power to spend it where the people are. I propose that the Congress make a $ 16 billion investment in renewing state and local government. Five billion dollars of this will be in new and unrestricted funds to be used as the states and localities see fit. The other $ 11 billion will be provided by allocating $ 1 billion of new funds and converting one-third of the money going to the present narrow-purpose aid programs into federal revenue sharing funds for six broad purposes for urban development, rural development, education, transportation, job training, and law enforcement but with the states and localites making their own decisions on how it should be spent within each category.