    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [March 9, 1993]
    [Page 256]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters Prior to a Meeting With the Senate Budget
    Committee
    March 9, 1993

        Q. Mr. President, are you going for nonmilitary domestic spending
    cuts across the board?
        The President. Well, first of all, let me say I think both the
    Senate and the House committees deserve a lot of credit. They've come
    forward with further spending reductions consistent with what the CBO
    group calculations would indicate. They are consistent with the
    direction of my plan to reduce the deficit and increase investment. And
    I think that eventually all the committees will get together, and the
    two bodies will get together, and we will work out a budget that the
    American people can be proud of that does the things that we're all
    trying to do. I'm encouraged by it.
        Q. So you are going to accept the across-the-board cuts?
        The President. We haven't worked out the details on how it's going
    to be done. The two committees have slightly different positions, as you
    probably know. But I think that in the end there will be further cuts
    and there will be, I'm convinced, a much more substantial reduction in
    the deficit than the estimates show. I feel good about it.

    Note: The exchange began at 9:17 a.m. in the Old Family Dining Room at
    the White House.