    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [December 16, 1995]
    [Pages 1894-1896]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    December 16, 1995

        Good morning. At midnight last night, for the second time in a
    month, the Republican Congress shut down the Federal Government in an
    effort to force through their unacceptable cuts in health care,
    education, and the environment.
        For weeks, my administration and the Republicans in Congress have
    been in serious negotiations over how to reach common ground on
    balancing the budget. A week ago, I forwarded to them a plan that would
    protect our principles and balance the budget in 7 years. I had hoped
    that this time would be different, that we were past the Republican
    threats to shut down the Government just to get their way.
        But yesterday, they broke off our talks. Unbelievably, they actually
    said that as a condition for our talks to continue, we had to agree
    right now to make deep and unconscionable cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.
    That is unacceptable.
        The cuts they propose would deprive millions of people of health
    care: poor children, pregnant women, the disabled, seniors in nursing
    homes.

    [[Page 1895]]

    They would let Medicare wither on the vine into a second-class system.
    Now, these things simply are not necessary to balance the budget.
        Let me be clear: As I have said from the beginning, I very much want
    to work with Congress to get a balanced budget. After all, working with
    the previous Congress in my first 2 years as President, we cut the
    deficit I found when I became President in half. We reduced the size of
    the Federal Government by 200,000. We ought to finish the job. We
    shouldn't leave a legacy of debt to our children, but neither should we
    leave the next generation a legacy of neglect.
        We've cut the deficit in half while continuing to invest in
    education, technology, research, the environment, Medicare, and Medicaid
    and cutting taxes on the most hard-pressed of our working people. That's
    what we ought to do in this budget plan.
        Now as far as shutting the Government down goes, this is not a
    result of our lack of agreement on a balanced budget plan; the two
    things have no connection. The facts are plain: The Congress has failed
    to pass a budget for next year and the bills that would fund the
    agencies of Government on purpose. They have deliberately done this to
    force me to accept their long-term agenda of big cuts in Medicare,
    Medicaid, education, and the environment and a tax increase on working
    people. That's what's in their balanced budget plan. But it's not
    necessary to balance the budget. So for them to cause a shutdown,
    denying Americans the services their tax dollars support, as a tactic in
    the budget debate is wrong. It's irresponsible. I won't give in to the
    threat. I didn't last time, and I can't now. Let me tell you why.
        I know you've been told that the winners and losers of this budget
    battle are all in Washington and it's all politics. But that's not true.
    America's children would bear the most pain from the sharp cuts proposed
    by the Republican Congress. If the Republican plan becomes law, millions
    of children would be denied basics they need: health care they now have,
    schooling they can count on, school lunches, a safe place to live, or
    air and water we can be sure is safe to breathe and to drink.
        Just consider what would happen to Medicaid. For three decades,
    Medicaid has been a legal guarantee for millions who need medical care.
    It has been the primary source of health care for nearly one in five
    American children. And more than half of the children on Medicaid live
    in families with working parents. It is not a welfare program. But the
    Republican plan repeals Medicaid's guarantees, and that spells disaster
    for families in the middle class who are caught unprepared. Medicaid
    helps millions of children who are disabled or who suffer from chronic
    illnesses or who have the AIDS virus. But the Republican plan could pull
    this lifeline from millions of children.
        In education, the Republican plan eliminates Head Start for 180,000
    preschoolers. It cuts our efforts to keep drugs and violence out of our
    schools. It undermines our efforts to help schools meet national
    standards of excellence for the first time. It kills the AmeriCorps
    national service program. It denies scholarships to more than 350,000
    deserving college students and takes away the best student loan program
    available to young people--it lowers the cost and eases the terms of
    repayment.
        The Republican plan would raise taxes for over 7 million of our
    hardest pressed working families. Their budget cuts would leave children
    exposed to hazardous waste. And we know that pollution affects children
    more than it does adults. We want to clean up these sites, but the
    Republican cuts would limit what we can do.
        The Republican budget cuts are aimed squarely at our children. They
    will face larger classes and fewer Head Start programs. Ten million will
    live near toxic waste sites that won't be cleaned. Fewer will be
    immunized. Millions will be denied adequate medical care. And more than
    one million will be forced into poverty.
        That is no way to treat our children. Let them threaten to shut the
    Government down. It is not necessary to do this to balance the budget,
    and so I am not going to let them hurt our children and compromise their
    future.
        Our budget proposal shows these cuts are not necessary. Our plan
    balances the budget in 7 years, reforms Medicare and Medicaid, keeps
    costs down. It protects education and gives working families with
    children a tax break, not a tax increase. It is wrong for the
    congressional Republicans to insist that I make deep cuts in Medicare
    and Medicaid just as a condition to talk. It is wrong for them to shut
    the Government down again just before Christmas. It would be wrong for
    me to accept that threat. I rejected it last month; I reject it now.

    [[Page 1896]]

        I know this shutdown will affect the lives of millions of Americans,
    especially at this holiday season. I'll do whatever I can to lessen the
    impact. Above all, the Republicans should come back to the table.
    Congress should immediately pass straightforward legislation to reopen
    the Government. That is the responsible thing to do. And we should be
    talking again with each other about how to balance the budget in the
    interest of the American people.
        I'll continue to fight for our American principles in this budget
    battle because that's the only way our children can come out the
    winners.
        Thanks for listening.

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