    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [January 31, 2000]
    [Page 161]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Debt Reduction
    January 31, 2000

        Today we received further evidence that our economic strategy of
    fiscal discipline is working. By making the tough choices necessary to
    turn record deficits into record surpluses, we are now in a position to
    start paying down the debt. According to the latest numbers from the
    Department of the Treasury, we will pay down $152 billion in debt in the
    3 months from April to June--the largest debt paydown in our Nation's
    history. By the end of this fiscal year, we will have repaid
    approximately $300 billion in debt. If we continue on this path of
    fiscal discipline, we can pay off our national debt for the first time
    since Andrew Jackson was President. This will keep interest rates low
    and investment high and lead to savings on everything from mortgages to
    student loans for working families across America.