    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [October 28, 1993]
    [Pages 1838-1840]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters
    October 28, 1993

    California Fires and the Economy

        The President. Good morning. Along with all Americans, my heart goes
    out to the people across southern California who have lost their homes,
    their possessions, and who have witnessed private property and the
    natural environment devastated by these terrible fires. More than 400
    homes have already been consumed. And evacuations are now occurring,
    involving thousands of our fellow citizens.
        This morning, I want to announce several specific actions that I am
    taking to respond to this tragedy in California. First, I have
    designated Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura
    Counties as major disaster areas. This makes them available for
    customary Federal assistance to individuals and to State and local
    governments.
        Second, I spoke last night with our FEMA Director, James Lee Witt,
    and he is proceeding to California this morning, along with the
    Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, who met with Mr. McLarty this
    morning.
        Third, I have spoken with Governor Pete Wilson and will be
    consulting soon with Senators Feinstein and Boxer, to receive their
    recommendations on how we can be more helpful to the State.
        Finally, I have instructed the Chief of Staff, Mr. McLarty, to
    coordinate the full delivery of all appropriate Federal resources and
    assistance to California. We've already dispatched 20 Forest Service air
    tankers there and many additional Federal firefighters to the scene. I
    have asked Secretary Babbitt and Secretary Espy to coordinate with James
    Lee Witt so that we can have a full Federal response to the problems in
    California.
        Many hundreds of people on the ground are engaged in valiant efforts
    to fight these fires now. Neighbors are helping neighbors. We will offer
    what we can to help fight the fires, to meet the needs of the victims,
    to stand with the people who are already doing so much.
        Now, before I answer questions, I'd like to say just another word on
    another subject. For the past 9 months, the primary focus of this
    administration has been on improving the economy in ways that average
    Americans can actually tell were affecting their lives in a positive
    way. We've taken some very serious actions to reduce the deficit, to
    help increase the fairness of the Tax Code, to provide incentives to
    invest in important areas of our national economy, to try to give
    working families with modest incomes and children at home a better
    break.
        Now, we're beginning to see real results, higher growth rates, lower
    deficits, things that over the long run will represent real progress for
    the American people. When our administration took office, the deficit
    for this year was projected to be well in excess of $300 billion. The
    Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget have
    confirmed today that in the end, it turned out to be substantially
    lower. We finished this year with a deficit of $255 billion, over $50
    billion below where it was projected to be. After years of bad policies
    and bad estimates, when lower deficits actually went far higher, it's
    pleasing to me to see that a deficit came in lower than it was projected
    because of efforts directed to lower interest rates which had
    significant direct and indirect benefits to this economy.
        Lower deficits and lower interest rates have sparked the beginning
    of a significant economic recovery. Today, we are seeing a third quarter
    economic growth rate reported of 2.8 percent. I might say that it would
    have been substantially higher but for the floods in the Middle West and
    the drought in the Southeast.
        Although we know our economy is still not

    [[Page 1839]]

    working well enough for most Americans, these numbers make clear that
    the historic drop in interest rates, following the announcement of our
    economic plan and its ultimate passage, is sparking a sustainable
    recovery that is increasing investments in our future, investments in
    housing, in businesses, and in durable goods.
        There is a lot more to do. We are, after all, as I have said now for
    nearly 2 years, dealing with trends that are 20 years in the making,
    trends of stagnant incomes, trends of exploding health care costs,
    trends of difficult investment decisions too long postponed in America.
    But we are beginning to see real progress. We are moving in the right
    direction, and we have to stay on this course.
        I am very grateful to the people in the Congress who have supported
    the economic plan that has produced these low interest rates, that has
    led to most of the deficit reduction below the projected targets, and I
    think that this is clearly a good sign that we're moving in the right
    direction.
        I also want to say that it clearly means that we have much more to
    do. That's why I think it's important that before the Congress goes
    home, we adopt NAFTA. It's important that we take this health care issue
    on seriously and see it through to the end. And there are a lot of other
    issues that we'll be dealing with at the end of this year, and
    especially next year, to keep this economic recovery going. But this is
    good news.
        Q. Mr. President, on the economy, we've seen a number of false
    starts over the past 1\1/2\, 2 years. Are you convinced that recovery is
    assured now, or are you still considering some sort of stimulus package
    to hold in abeyance if necessary?
        The President. What I believe is that we are seeing the beginning of
    a recovery that--you can't say it's assured, because we're in a global
    economy, but it is clearly sustaining itself, based on American policies
    and without much help from overseas because of the very slow growth to
    no growth in Europe and because of the economic problems in Japan.
        Another reason I feel very strongly about NAFTA is that Latin
    America is the second fastest growing part of the world. They're
    actually increasing their incomes. They have a willingness and an
    ability, these countries do, to buy more American products. And in order
    to keep this recovery going and actually have it manifest itself in more
    jobs and higher incomes, we are going to have to have the ability to
    sell our products around the world.
        But yes, I think we're seeing the beginning of a very stable, long-
    term recovery. But keep in mind, there are many things we have to do. We
    are dealing in part with trends that have been 20 years in the making.
    And you just don't turn those around overnight.
        Q. Will you travel to California?
        The President. I haven't made a decision on that yet. I had a very
    heart-rending talk this morning with the Governor, and I tried to find
    the two Senators, also. I'll be talking with them, but they may be both,
    I think, making preparations to go on out immediately.
        I did call James Lee Witt, and last night we had a long talk. And I
    told him I thought it was important for him to be on the ground there
    today, to call and to give me a report and see how we were doing.
        For anybody who has ever been in that part of the State, it's very
    troubling. One of our administration members apparently may lose his
    home, has had his family evacuated in Orange County. So it's a huge fire
    out there, and we're going to do whatever it takes to help the people.
        Q. Mr. President, can FEMA handle this after the terrible year that
    the administration has had with the floods? Do you have the resources to
    help California?
        The President. Well, they did a very fine job with the floods. And I
    expect to get a--let me get a report from James Lee Witt when he gets
    out there on the scene, and we'll let you know.
        This is something that we have tried to mobilize and alert the
    Agriculture Department and the Interior Department, not only because we
    have some Federal land out there that is affected but because we do have
    trained firefighters in those Agencies that might be able to help. So
    we're trying to put all that together now, and I should be able--by the
    middle of the afternoon, I'll know more about this.
        Q. Mr. President, you've also said before that--just to follow up--
    that California is the weakest part of our economy. Isn't it likely that
    this will further drag down not only California but the rest of the
    country? What extra help can you give them now?
        The President. Let's try to help them get the fire out first, and
    we'll focus on that.
        David [David Lauter, Los Angeles Times].

    [[Page 1840]]

        Q. Mr. President, the last time there was a major natural disaster
    in California, the earthquake in the bay area, there was a lot of
    complaint within the State about bureaucratic redtape, bungling, what
    have you. I know you've tried to make improvements in FEMA during the
    flood period, but what sort of assurances can you offer the State that
    this time the job will be done right?
        The President. All I can tell you is, I believe that the people who
    suffered in that historic flood in the Midwest believe that we did cut
    through the redtape, that we were on top of the situation from the
    beginning, and that we worked through it as best as possible. And if we
    do as well in California as we did there, I think the people will be
    satisfied.
        What I want to know, in response to your question and Andrea's
    [Andrea Mitchell, NBC News], is what is different about this? Are there
    going to be different challenges? Will there be different problems? But
    I have every confidence that James Lee Witt will do the same job in
    California he did in the Middle West and, along with Mike Espy and Bruce
    Babbitt, we'll be on top of it. And we'll do whatever it takes to make
    the most of a very difficult situation.

    Haiti

        Q. I have a question on Haiti, Mr. President. Do you accept as fact
    that President Aristide won't be back in power tomorrow? And do you
    favor tightening sanctions?
        The President. We're looking at a number of other options, and I'm
    also looking forward to President Aristide's speech to the United
    Nations, which I think he has probably concluded now. I know he was to
    give it this morning, but I haven't gotten a report on it. The Vice
    President talked with him yesterday, and we have worked very closely on
    this. We spent about 40 minutes on it this morning in the normal
    national security briefing period. We are looking at what our options
    are.
        I think that, just from the morning press reports, if Mr. Francois
    and the others in Haiti believe that all they have to do is to wait out
    Aristide and everything will somehow be all right and that the
    international community will put up with the reestablishment of a
    Duvalier-like regime there, in plain violation of the overwhelming
    majority of the people of Haiti, I think they're just wrong.
        Again, I will say, the people down there that are thwarting
    democracy's return have got to decide whether they want to hold on tight
    to a shrinking future or take a legitimate and proportionate share of an
    expanding future. It is their decision. But I think they are making a
    grave mistake, and we are looking at what our other options are.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:12 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House, prior to his departure for Baltimore, MD. In his remarks, he
    referred to Lt. Col. Joseph Michel Francois, chief of the Haitian
    police.