[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[January 21, 1997]
[Pages 48-49]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Prior to a Meeting With the Economic Team and an Exchange With 
Reporters
January 21, 1997

Budget Proposal

    The President. Are we all here? Are we all awake? [Laughter] Are we 
all cogent?
    Q. How about you?
    The President. Yes, I'm fine. I got a good night's sleep last night.
    Yesterday was a great day of celebration for us, but it's time to 
get down to work. I told everyone at all the balls yesterday that I felt 
better at the second Inauguration than the first because the country was 
better but that I wanted us to see it not as a reward for the first 4 
years but a mandate for the next 4. And that's what I want to be working 
on today.
    I wanted to begin this second term by meeting first with our 
economic team to discuss finishing the job of balancing the budget. I 
said yesterday that we need a new Government for the new century ahead, 
and that means a Government that lives within its means, that our 
parties must work together, and that we have to be repairers of the 
breach that has developed in our partisan system over the last 4 years 
and too often among our people.
    To that end, on February 6th I will submit a balanced budget. As I 
said yesterday, we have to do--what I will do--maintain our commitment 
to a balanced budget and the balance of our values. That's why we will 
also expand education, research, and technology, protect the 
environment, and preserve health care for our parents and our children.
    The only way we can actually balance the budget is if we seize this 
moment to work together. And I'm going to do my best to reach out to the 
Republicans. So today I want to announce that our balanced budget will 
contain Medicare reforms that will make the program work better and will 
meet my goal of securing the Medicare Trust Fund for 10 years. It will 
save $138 billion over 6 years. And it should bring us much closer to 
bipartisan agreement, because based on the scoring of the Congressional 
Budget Office last year, this means that we're meeting the Republicans 
halfway. I want to meet them halfway on this and on many other issues. 
And I hope they'll meet me halfway.
    I'm determined that if we'll do that, we can resolve our remaining 
differences and reach agreement to balance the budget and do a lot of 
other good things for the American people as well. I'm looking forward 
to it, and I hope this first gesture is one that will be treated in good 
faith and responded to in kind.

Reprimand of Speaker Gingrich

    Q. Mr. President, what effect do you think today's House vote on Mr. 
Gingrich will have on your stated effort yesterday and today to repair 
the breach?
    The President. Well, of course, it depends on how everyone reacts to 
it. But I believe I said what I needed to say in the Inaugural. I think 
the House should do its business, and then we should get back to the 
people's business.

Budget Negotiations

    Q. Mr. President, on the $138 billion, what does that come to over 5 
years, since you're going to be submitting a 5-year balanced budget 
proposal, not a 6-year balanced budget proposal?
    The President. It's about a hundred. But the point is that the 
Republicans will be, too. In other words, the ratio will be about the 
same.
    Q. And do you expect them to simply accept that or to see that as an 
opening bargaining position, going forward in the negotiations to try to 
find some sort of common ground, given the history of the so-called 
Mediscare tactics that were used against them during the campaign?
    The President. Well, first of all, as you know, I dispute that. I 
vetoed a budget that had $270 billion in Medicare cuts. Throughout the 
campaign and in the debates, I pointed out that the Republicans and I 
had moved closer together at the end, but that if we adopted a 15 
percent across-the-board tax cut it would push the Medicare number back 
to a number I vetoed. I don't think that's Mediscare. So I just dispute 
that.
    But the main thing is we've got to get up today and do the work of 
the country. There are lots of elements to this budget. Medicare is not 
the only one, but it's a very important one. And I do believe, 
obviously, if we adopt

[[Page 49]]

a balanced budget plan in a bipartisan way, then we all have to take 
responsibility for the decisions, and we all have to take 
responsibility, therefore, for complimenting those in the other party 
who take the same decision we do. And so I'm just trying to create the 
conditions in which we can do that, and I think meeting them halfway on 
this and perhaps a number of other issues is the way to go.
    Q. Mr. President--[inaudible]--will the cuts come from providers or 
beneficiaries?
    The President. You'll be briefed on all that, I think, as soon as 
this is over. But we believe there are substantial savings to be made in 
the Medicare program, and we're going to offer our ways of doing it.

Campaign Finance Practices

    Q. Mr. President, the Democratic National Committee has decided to 
stop taking even legal--what are now legal contributions from 
foreigners. Can we ask you--I assume you've had a lot to do with that, 
and is it a sign that perhaps there were problems in the past?
    The President. We're going over there in a few minutes, and I'll be 
addressing all that then.

White House Access

    Q. Mr. President, you're making announcements on new, tighter 
restrictions on access to the White House later today as well?
    The President. Well, I'm going over there in a few minutes, so I'll 
have more to say about it.

Balanced Budget Amendment

    Q. You heard Alan Greenspan--[inaudible]--constitutional amendment? 
[Laughter] He says he has reservations about that.
    The President. Good for him.
    Q. Is that a result of the meeting you had with him the other day?
    The President. No, I think Mr. Greenspan makes his own conclusions.
    Q. What about----
    The Vice President. Everyone but Wolf [Wolf Blitzer, CNN] leaves. 
[Laughter]
    The President. [Inaudible]--makes his own--[inaudible]--but I was 
very pleased to hear him say that.
    Press Secretary Mike McCurry. Wolf, Greenspan is still on the access 
list. [Laughter]
    The President. We've got new rules on access to the press. You guys 
are staying here. [Laughter]

Note: The President spoke at 2:24 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Alan Greenspan, Chairman, Federal 
Reserve Board. A portion of these remarks could not be verified because 
the tape was incomplete.