    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [December 29, 1995]
    [Pages 1931-1932]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Budget Negotiations and an Exchange With Reporters
    December 29, 1995

        The President. I want to welcome the congressional leaders back here
    after Christmas. We're going to have, I think, a good meeting today,
    based on the work that has already been done this morning. I expect us
    to make further progress.
        We will begin to deal with some of the difficult issues today
    involving how we can balance the budget and protect things like Medicare
    and Medicaid and education and the environment, which I think are very
    important. I believe we're proceeding in good faith, and I think we're
    making progress.
        I do believe that we ought to move to reopen the Government. As you
    know, I feel very strongly about that. The public services will begin to
    be significantly curtailed. And of course, I'm concerned about the
    Federal employees, those that aren't working who want to work, who are
    going to get paid regardless, and those who are working who haven't
    gotten paid who are going to run into some very serious financial
    problems with their mortgages and other things soon. So I hope we can
    get some agreement to reopen the Government so that these problems can
    be averted.
        Q. Is there some room for compromise now that you've had a little
    bit of time to think it over over the holidays?
        The President. Well, we're--I've gotten a preliminary report. I
    think we'll have some more progress this afternoon, and then I expect
    we'll work all day tomorrow. I'm prepared to spend whatever time it
    takes to move as quickly as we can move. But some of these issues are
    quite complicated in terms of their impact on the American people. But
    I'm ready to go, and I think that all of us are.
        Q. Mr. Speaker, do you see any way of having an agreement that can
    reopen the Government without the----
        Speaker Gingrich. We'll discuss it this afternoon. And I think that
    Senator Dole and Congressman Armey and I have been trying to work out a
    way to both get the currently nonessential employees deemed essential,
    which Senator Dole began to work on last week after our meeting here,
    and also to find a way to possibly get everyone paid. We feel strongly
    that Federal employees ought to be back--all the Federal employees ought
    to be at work. We know they want to be, and it's not fair to them. And
    we also feel strongly we ought to try to find some way to get everyone
    paid. We also have an obligation under the continuing resolution that
    was adopted about 6 weeks ago to get a balanced budget by next Wednesday
    morning, at the latest, at the end of the first session of Congress.
        So I agree with the President. I think there are reasons to be
    cautiously optimistic. I wouldn't exaggerate them, but I think we've
    made some progress over the last few days. And I would hope in the next
    2 or 3 days we could basically get this done and then have everything up
    and running and everyone paid for while the staff work was finished out
    on the actual technical details.

    [[Page 1932]]

        Q. Let me clarify, though, sir, is there any way to get the people
    back to work without resolving a balanced budget plan?
        Speaker Gingrich. There might be a way, yes.
        Senator Dole. Yes.
        Speaker Gingrich. We're going to explore today some ways to get that
    done by unanimous consent over the next 2 days. But I think it takes
    working it out together, and we haven't done that yet.
        Senator Dole. Just let me add that we're sending--we're in recess
    now in the Senate, subject to call of the Chair, and I hope to be able
    to give Senator Daschle some language to look at this afternoon. And I
    want to congratulate Congressman Armey for his leadership on the House
    side with the Speaker, because if we can work this out it could be done
    yet today.
        Q. And have people back to work?
        Senator Dole. Well, it would go down to the President as quickly as
    we could. It's a Middle East peace facilitation act. It's the same
    language we passed last Friday in the Senate deeming people essential.
    And the third element of the package would be expedited procedure, if we
    get an agreement, so we can get it through the Senate in less than 60
    days, I guess. We just take the budget reconciliation language and
    shorten the time and put that in the resolution.
        Speaker Gingrich. We'll try to get that down here by sometime this
    evening if we can get it all worked out. It's all got to be done--our
    system is complicated even at best, and it takes a little while, but we
    hope to get it worked out today.
        Q. President Clinton, what's your reaction to that, sir?
        The President. I think the people ought to go back to work, and I
    think they ought to be paid. And I think if we don't do it, we're going
    to see some very serious consequences that should not--that neither the
    public nor the public employee should have to endure. And I think we
    need to keep working at this until we get an agreement. I'm prepared to
    work until we get an agreement. We've just got to keep working through
    it.
        But these are complex issues. To protect Medicare and Medicaid,
    education and the environment, the things that are at the core of the
    resolution we adopted, and get the budget balanced in 7 years is not
    easy to do. We're going to have to work at it.
        Q. [Inaudible]--the Republicans rejected last time? You thought you
    had an agreement on something like this and the House Republicans
    rejected it?
        Q. Why did you change your position, Mr. Gingrich?
        The President. Wait, wait, wait. Let's don't ask any more questions
    like that. We're trying to work this out, and I think--give us a chance
    to meet today, and give them a chance to do their work. Let's see what
    happens.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:40 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House, prior to a meeting with congressional leaders. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of these remarks.