[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.