    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [January 6, 1996]
    [Page 17]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Budget Negotiations and an Exchange With Reporters
    January 6, 1996

        The President. Let me say that I am pleased that Congress has
    completed the task of reopening the Federal Government which was begun a
    few days ago. And I hope that no Congress will ever again shut the
    Federal Government down in this way. As has been said, it is morally
    indefensible to hold needed Government services and hard-working
    Government employees hostage in a political battle.
        I'm also pleased to submit the budget plan prepared by Senator
    Daschle which the Congressional Budget Office says will reach balance in
    7 years. This plan illustrates what we have been saying all along, that
    you can balance the budget in 7 years and protect Medicare, Medicaid,
    education, and the environment and provide tax relief to working
    families.
        Now it's time to get back to work. This is a moment of great
    national promise, and we need to find unity and common ground; we need
    to rise above partisanship to fashion a sensible solution that is true
    to our values, honors our obligations to our parents and to our
    children, and builds a stronger future for our country. And in just a
    few moments we will go back to work.
        Q. Sir, what was your priority, to technically meet their demands
    and open it up, or to get it----
        The President. Well, we have reached a point in our negotiations--we
    have been working in good faith now for days and days, identifying areas
    of agreement as well as areas of disagreement. And last evening when we
    ended our session and we agreed to meet again today, we both said that
    we would try to speed up the negotiations, move as quickly as possible
    to see if we couldn't at least reach a framework agreement. And this was
    an appropriate time to do that. And so I'm hopeful that we can reach
    agreement.
        As I said, these numbers show that the Congressional Budget Office
    agrees that you can balance the budget and still provide adequate
    protection for Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment.
        Q. How soon do you think you can get this closed?
        The President. How soon? I don't know. We've been in about a 2-hour
    recess now, and I'm looking forward to getting back to work. And I'm
    prepared to work all day tomorrow. We have tentatively agreed to start
    again tomorrow morning, and if the weather doesn't prevent us, I'm
    prepared to just stay all day. Depending on how big a snow, the weather
    might not only not prevent us but actually help us to stay here and get
    downright cozy.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:06 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House.