[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[March 13, 1993]
[Pages 285-286]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
March 13, 1993

    Good morning. I want to talk with you about a decision Americans 
will make very soon, one that will determine the future of our country, 
our communities, our companies, and our jobs.
    All around us, we see changes transforming our economy. Global 
competition, new technologies, and the reductions in military spending 
after we won the cold war. We can't stop the world from changing, but 
there is one decision we can and must make. Will we leave our people and 
our Nation unprepared for changes that are remaking our world, or will 
we invest in our people's jobs, our education, our training, our 
technology to build a high-skilled, high-wage future for ourselves and 
for our children?
    The choice is especially urgent because of the reductions in 
military spending here at home. Yesterday I visited the U.S.S. Theodore 
Roosevelt. That aircraft carrier and its crew served with distinction 
during the Gulf war. There's no greater honor than serving as their 
Commander in Chief. As long as I'm President, the men and women who wear 
our Nation's uniforms will continue to be the best trained, best 
prepared, and best equipped fighting force in the world.
    We must never forget that the world is still a dangerous place. Our 
military is continuing to change, not to downsize for its own sake but 
so that we can meet the challenges of the 21st century. In the post-
cold-war era, our military can be cut even while we maintain the forces 
necessary to protect our interests and our people.
    The preliminary announcements of base closings in this morning's 
paper are part of that

[[Page 286]]

process. What we need to decide is whether we will invest in the 
economic security of the people who defend our national security. For 
the past 4 years our Government has done essentially nothing. Since 
1989, 300,000 soldiers, sailors, and flyers have been mustered out of 
the service. One hundred thousand civilian employees of the Defense 
Department have also lost their jobs. And 440,000 workers from defense 
industries have been laid off.
    As the business magazine Fortune has reported, these cuts cost 
840,000 jobs over the past 4 years. That's more than the combined total 
layoffs at GM, IBM, AT&T, and Sears. Too many of the men and women 
affected by defense cuts are still looking for full-time jobs or working 
at jobs that pay much lower wages and use fewer of their skills.
    These Americans won the cold war. We must not leave them out in the 
cold. That's why I propose a new national strategy to make these 
Americans have the training, the skills, and the support they need to 
compete and win in the post-cold-war economy.
    Last year the Congress appropriated $1.4 billion for defense 
conversion activities. But the previous administration did not put any 
of that money to work. Our administration's plan gets those funds moving 
immediately and calls for an additional $300 million in resources, for a 
total of $1.7 billion this year alone, and for nearly $20 billion over 
the next 5 years.
    Our plan invests in job training and employment services for 
military personnel and defense workers who have been displaced by 
declining military spending. And we'll make sure that every community 
affected by a base closing will have the help they need right away to 
plan for new businesses and new jobs. It takes 3 to 5 years for a base 
to close. We need to use that time to be ready.
    That's why I'm proposing a national strategy to make sure that all 
these communities and all these workers can use this valuable time to 
plan and to acquire the tools to build a new future.
    Our plan also invests in dual use technologies, that is, those that 
have both civilian and military applications and in advanced civilian 
technologies as well. With these technologies, defense companies can 
create new products and new jobs.
    Americans have the ingenuity to adapt to changing times. On Thursday 
I visited a defense plant just outside Baltimore that is using military 
technology to make products for commercial use. I wish you could have 
seen what I saw. Police cars with computer screens that display 
photographs of missing children and radar systems that warn the 
commercial airlines about sudden wind currents that cause accidents. I 
saw an electric car that will run 80 miles an hour, and run for more 
than 120 miles before being recharged.
    With a national economic strategy, more companies will be able to 
make the most of changes that are affecting not only defense but every 
industry, and will be able to make products like these. Our economic 
plan cuts Government spending that we don't need and brings down the 
Federal deficit that threatens our future.
    But just as important, our plan also makes the investments that we 
do need in our children's schools, our workers' skills, cutting-edge 
technologies, and our transportation and communications networks. This 
plan will create 8 million jobs, building the foundation for a new era 
where every American can profit, prosper, and produce.
    In the days ahead you'll hear a great debate in Congress about this 
plan. Some will say, don't cut anything; some will say, don't invest in 
anything. But what many of them are really saying is, don't change 
anything, because failing to invest and failing to reduce the deficit 
means failing to change the status quo.
    I'm confident that Congress and the country will choose a new 
direction for America, making our Government more effective and less 
expensive, and making the investments that make us smarter, stronger, 
and more secure. I ask you to express your support for this approach to 
Senators and Representatives. Those who support our entire plan should 
be supported. They're cutting spending that we don't need and investing 
more in what we do need.
    It's been said that while change is certain, progress is not. 
Together, we can turn away from drift and decline and choose a new 
direction with hope and growth and opportunity for every American.

Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office at the 
White House.