[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[September 25, 1998]
[Pages 1662-1663]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Legislative Priorities and an Exchange With Reporters
September 25, 1998

Hurricane Georges

    The President. Good morning. For the past several days Hurricane 
Georges has torn through the Caribbean, costing many lives. Now, as we 
speak, the hurricane is bearing down on south Florida. I have spoken 
several times with FEMA director, James Lee Witt. For the past day, an 
emergency response team has been on the

[[Page 1663]]

ground working with the government and the people of Florida to prepare 
for the storm. We are as ready as we can be, and we pray that the human 
and material costs will be limited. In the coming days, we will work as 
closely as possible with the State of Florida to provide whatever 
assistance will do the most good.

Continuing Resolution

    A few moments ago I signed stop-gap legislation to keep the 
Government open and running at the start of the new fiscal year. The 
legislation is a regrettable sign that the Republican majority in 
Congress has failed to address the urgent priorities of the American 
people. There is only one week left in this fiscal year, yet the 
Congress has passed and sent me only one of the 13 appropriations bills 
to fund the operation of the United States Government. And the Congress 
is 5 months past the legal deadline for passing a budget resolution.
    By failing to meet its most basic governing responsibility, the 
Republican majority in Congress has its priorities wrong: partisanship 
over progress, politics over people. Moreover, on key national goals--
improving education, providing affordable child care, expanding health 
coverage, protecting our environment, stabilizing the international 
economy--the House of Representatives, in fact, is moving in the wrong 
direction. For example, at a time when opportunity depends on education 
more than ever before, neither Chamber has even brought the education 
funding bill to a vote. And the House is preparing to deny funding for 
smaller classes, to cut after-school programs, to cut technology in the 
classroom, to eliminate summer jobs. At the same time, some lawmakers 
have attached controversial and unrelated provisions guaranteed to mire 
these bills in unnecessary delay.
    For 6 years, our economic strategy of fiscal responsibility, 
investing in people, expanding America's exports has spurred lower 
interest rates and created conditions for the strongest economy in a 
generation. If we hold fast to fiscal discipline, we will enter a new 
and promising era of budget surpluses. We must keep our economy growing 
and use this time to meet the challenges facing our people.
    I have laid out a concrete plan of how we can continue on that 
course to make smart investments, to maintain fiscal discipline, and to 
set aside the surplus until we have saved Social Security first. I have 
reached out to Members of Congress in both parties to work toward these 
ends. It isn't too late. But Congress cannot simply keep passing 
patchwork spending plans, putting off choices about national priorities 
until next year, or at least until after the election.
    It is time now for Congress to buckle down, to send me the measures 
to keep the Government open and to invest in education, in health care, 
in other needs of the American people. It is time to put progress over 
partisanship. We should do the job the people sent us here to do and 
strengthen America for the new century.
    Thank you very much.
    Q. How do you think the Democrats are going to do in the election?
    The President. I have nothing to add to what I said.

Note: The President spoke at 9:06 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House, prior to his departure for Chicago, IL. H.J. Res. 128, approved 
September 25, was assigned Public Law No. 105-240.