[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[February 9, 1993]
[Page 66]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 66]]


Remarks on Reduction and Reorganization of the White House Staff
February 9, 1993

    Good morning. Next week I will outline our new economic plan to 
create jobs, to raise incomes, to reduce the deficit, and to lay the 
foundation for long-term economic growth for this country. Twelve years 
of denial and delay have left a legacy that will take years to overcome. 
Economic renewal will require tough choices from every American. But we 
have to ask the most of those who got the most and gave the least during 
the last decade, those at the top of the ladder, and those who have the 
levers of Government.
    We in Government cannot ask the American people to change if we will 
not do the same. Most families in this country have had to adjust their 
priorities and tighten their belts in the last decade. Just about every 
American business from the smallest hardware store to the largest 
conglomerate has had to change to meet increased competition. And so, 
too, the Government must do more and make do with less.
    During the recent campaign I pledged to reduce the White House staff 
by 25 percent below the size left by my predecessor. Today I am 
announcing a reorganization of the White House that keeps that 
commitment to the American people. Our White House will be leaner but 
more effective, and designed to work both hard and smart for the changes 
we seek in America.
    These cuts come as part of a quite significant reorganization of the 
Office of the President. The reorganization will reduce the size of the 
President's Office including the White House and the Executive Office of 
the President by some 350 people from its staffing at the end of the 
Bush administration, not counting, of course, OMB and the Trade 
Representative's Office, nor part of the Cabinet.
    This reduction will be implemented in the next fiscal year--that is, 
the one that begins with the new budget--not at some distant date in the 
future. And these cuts will come at all levels of our operations. I 
should point out that this is one of the few times in this century that 
any President has actually shrunk the size of the White House staff.
    In addition, we'll be cutting back on some of the perks that can too 
often delude public servants into thinking that the people work for them 
instead of the other way around. And the salaries of many top White 
House staff have been reduced also.
    I take these steps not simply to save the taxpayers' money but also 
because I believe this smaller White House will actually work better and 
serve the American people better. We have begun a process of 
revitalization and reorganization that must consume our entire 
Government and not simply its most visible symbol here on Pennsylvania 
Avenue.
    Over the past decade the best American businesses have had to 
reorder themselves and revitalize themselves. They've had to reduce 
layers of bureaucracy, give people on the front lines the freedom to 
innovate, and do more with less to better serve their customers. Well, 
the taxpayers of this country are our customers, and we intend to follow 
those methods of modernization to increase our services to them and to 
do it at an affordable cost so that this money can be put to more 
productive purposes.
    Millions of dollars will be saved by this reorganization. But we 
will do more in the other Cabinet Departments, throughout the 
Government, and not just in this year but in the years ahead. Too often 
in recent years our Government has been on automatic pilot. People do 
things today just because that's the way they were done yesterday. It 
has grown to satisfy not only the needs of the people but its own needs. 
America has changed, but Washington hasn't. Now, as have so many 
businesses before, our Government must reform itself to regain the 
people's trust and to be able to take the lead in the challenging 
decisions which lie ahead of us.
    Now Mr. McLarty, my Chief of Staff, will explain the details of the 
reorganization.

Note: The President spoke at 11:34 a.m. in the Briefing Room at the 
White House.