    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [December 8, 1995]
    [Pages 1859-1860]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Budget and an Exchange With Reporters
    December 8, 1995

        The President. Good morning. I am delighted to be here with a number
    of Governors from around our country to talk about the budget debate now
    in Washington. All these Governors who are here present and all those
    who are not have to balance the budget, but they're accountable for
    doing so in a way that increases opportunity for their people and holds
    the people together, maintains the bonds of community. That's what we're
    trying to do here.
        Yesterday I gave the Congress a budget that balances in 7 years
    without devastating cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, education and the
    environment and that does not raise taxes on working families.
        There are many differences between the budget that I vetoed, which
    Congress passed, and the one that I've presented. But perhaps the
    starkest one of all is the different treatment of Medicaid. The
    Republican budget would be a disaster for States and for the people who
    depend upon Medicaid. It would ask the States to do more and more and
    more for the elderly, for the disabled, for poor children and pregnant
    women and give them less help to do it. It would force them to make
    unconscionable and unnecessary choices between senior citizens and
    disabled people, between people with AIDS and nursing home residents.
        The plan would end the guarantee of quality medical care that now
    exists for 26 million Americans, a guarantee that has been on the books
    for three decades now. The Republicans are insisting that we repeal the
    guarantee that no poor child, pregnant mother, poor senior citizen, or
    disabled person will be denied quality medical care. That would
    eliminate the guarantee of nursing home care for as many as 300,000
    people. All told, if current patterns of coverage prevail, some 8
    million people could be denied health care coverage under Medicaid,
    nearly half of them children. No one would want to do this in any State,
    but many States would have no choice under the budget now pending.
        So I just want to be clear about this. I very much want to work with
    the Republican Congress to get a balanced budget. But I will not, I will
    not, permit the repeal of guaranteed medical coverage for senior
    citizens, for disabled people, for poor children and pregnant women.
    That would violate our values. It is not necessary, and therefore, if it
    continues to be a part of the budget, if necessary, I would veto it
    again.
        We cannot, we must not, do this. This would do more harm to more
    people and do more to undermine the stability of State governments and
    the life of the States in our country than any other provision of this
    budget, in all probability, and we just cannot do it. So I want to make
    that clear.
        On the other hand, let me say again, I am reaching out the hand of
    cooperation to Congress. I did yesterday. I do so again today. But there
    are some things that we cannot and should not change and back away from.
    That resolution that was passed that permitted the Government to go
    forward said that we would protect Medicare, Medicaid, education, and
    the environment. That's what it said. I've done my part. I've offered a
    7-year budget. We cannot destroy Medicaid.

    Federal Reserve Board Chairman

        Q. Mr. President, are you going to reappoint Alan Greenspan, as the
    New York Times says?
        The President. Did they say that? [Laughter] To be honest with you,
    that's very premature.

    [[Page 1860]]

    I haven't even given much thought to it, one way or the other. We've had
    a few other things on the griddle here.

    Balkan Peace Process

        Q. Speaking of that, Mr. President, do you think you'll have a
    resolution of support on Bosnia before the treaty signing in Paris next
    week?
        The President. Will we have one? Well, I hope so. I don't know. I'm
    working on it, but I hope so.
        Q. What do you think about half of the House Members signing a
    letter opposing the deployment?
        The President. I hope that both Houses will vote to do it. It's the
    responsible thing to do. And those who paid any attention to the trip
    that I made to Europe last week know that all of the people in Europe
    are looking to see whether the United States will continue our 50-year
    partnership with Europe for security, will continue our leadership in
    NATO, and will do our part. They have only asked us to do a part. They,
    after all, are doing two-thirds of the work on the ground in Bosnia.
    They have asked us as the leader of NATO and the Alliance to send about
    a third of the troops. And in every nation I visited, people came up to
    me and said that America had been able to make peace in Bosnia, and they
    were desperately hoping we would participate so that we could prevent
    any kind of a resumption of the slaughter there, prevent the conflict
    from spreading, and prove that Europe and the United States are still
    partners for security in the post-cold-war era. I feel far more strongly
    about it even than I did before I went last week.
        It's clear to me that our Nation's ability to work with these
    European countries on every other security issue--reducing the nuclear
    threat, fighting terrorism, you name it--depends upon our partnership
    here. That is the issue of the day for them and for millions and
    millions and millions of them. And I think we have to do our part, and
    I'm going to do what I can to persuade the Congress of that.
        Q. Is there any possibility, sir, that the Paris signing next week
    will slide because of what's going on there?
        The President. I know of no plans to delay it. I believe it's going
    to go forward on time.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:38 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House prior to a meeting with Democratic Governors. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of these remarks.