    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [January 6, 1996]
    [Pages 12-13]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    January 6, 1996

        Good morning. Today I want to talk with you about the great debate
    on the budget. This debate is not just about abstract numbers, and it
    certainly goes far beyond party politics as usual. It is instead about
    vital principles and momentous issues for our country. We're addressing
    profound questions about what kind of country we are and what kind of
    country we're going to be, about what we owe to each other and what we
    owe to our children and to America's future. These questions have
    dominated our politics for quite a long time now. And now it is decision
    time, time to move beyond arguments and come to conclusions.
        For 3 weeks, the Federal Government has been shut down because
    Republicans in Congress refused to enact legislation to keep it open.
    This shutdown has had a real and unfortunate impact on the lives of
    millions of Americans. Now, I'm pleased to report that Congress has
    acted to bring Government employees back to work and to reopen most
    services to the public. This sets the stage for constructive, honest,
    and focused discussions on how to balance the budget while remaining
    true to our values and true to our future.
        America is at a crossroads. One path leads to continual partisan
    conflict, where nothing is ever really resolved and each decision simply

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    sets the stage for the next fight. The other path leads to national
    unity, a unity built on true solutions and real common ground. Down this
    path lies progress and strength; that has always been the right path for
    America. So I appeal to the Congress and to Members of both parties to
    put aside partisanship and work to craft a balanced budget agreement
    that upholds our values and reflects the common ground the American
    people have decided upon.
        You know, we've been talking about the budget for months. The
    American people have heard our deeply held views, and we've had time to
    listen to theirs. I believe there is an overwhelming consensus on a
    course that is also the right course for America: a balanced budget in 7
    years, because it's wrong to leave a legacy of debt to our children; a
    budget that protects Medicare and Medicaid, because we owe a duty to our
    parents, to the disabled, and to our poorest children; a balanced budget
    that protects education and the environment, because we owe a duty to
    our children and to future generations; and a balanced budget that
    doesn't single out the hardest pressed working families for higher
    taxes.
        The American people have decided that it is better for people to
    work than be on welfare, that welfare should be a temporary help, not a
    way of life, but that the solution should support children and families,
    not undermine them. Americans have decided they want a smaller
    Government that is less bureaucratic and more creative, that serves them
    as well or better with less money, and that there should be a tax cut
    that promotes educational opportunity and strengthens the ability of
    families to care for their children.
        Now, we can achieve these goals. We can balance the budget while
    remaining true to these values. This is a great challenge, but not the
    greatest one we have faced. It is not the financial numbers that are
    blocking our progress, it is political ideology. It is time now to do
    what our parents have done before us, to put the national interests
    above narrow interests.
        Later today, I will be meeting for several hours with the Republican
    and Democratic leaders of the House and the Senate. Over the past 2
    weeks, we have had serious, detailed, constructive discussions about all
    the issues before us: Medicare, Medicaid, education, the environment,
    taxes, and spending. I know that if we work together and embrace the
    possibility for a true national unity, we can reach an agreement to
    balance the budget that you will be proud of and that will be good for
    America. And that's what I am determined to do.
        This is a moment of great progress and great promise for our
    country. Many of us hold very strong views about how best to seize that
    moment. But above all else, now is the time to find common ground, for
    taking the best that each side has to offer and fashioning a sensible
    solution. That's the American way. And that is what will get us to the
    right kind of balanced budget.
        This budget debate has been difficult, demanding, and not always
    pretty. But remember, democracy is raucous and often full of debate that
    is not always pretty. But our country is still the world's greatest
    democracy, a beacon of peace and freedom for the world. I ask for the
    help of every American so that we can build an even greater future for
    our children.
        Thanks for listening.

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