[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[September 28, 2000]
[Pages 1975-1977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Cabinet Members and an Exchange With
Reporters
September 28, 2000
Budget Negotiations/Tobacco Lawsuit
The President. Is everyone in? Good. Well, as you can see, we're
about to have a Cabinet meeting, the primary purpose of which is to
discuss the budget negotiations that will be going on now until the end
of Congress.
Two weeks ago I met with congressional leaders in this room, and we
pledged to use the short time left in the fiscal year to do some
important things for the American people, to resolve our differences on
a host of issues, to put progress over partisanship.
Since then, the Senate has passed normal trade relations with China
legislation, and I applaud that. But beyond that, nothing has been done
to finally raise the minimum wage, pass hate crimes legislation and a
real Patients' Bill of Rights, pass a Medicare prescription drug benefit
for our seniors, to enact the new markets legislation. The leadership
promised action, but so far the results don't show it.
Now there are just 2 days to go in the fiscal year, and only 2 of
the 13 appropriations bills have passed that are so necessary to keep
our Government running. Still the Congress hasn't provided the funds to
help build and modernize our schools, to continue to hire 100,000 new
qualified teachers for smaller classes in the early grades, to improve
teacher quality and strengthen accountability so that we can identify
failing
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schools, turn them around, shut them down, or put them under new
management. And nothing has been done to fund the largest gun
enforcement initiative in history to keep guns out of the hands of
criminals and children, something that Republicans have said that we
ought to do more of.
Right now another important decision is pending in Congress, even as
we meet here. The Congress is choosing whether or not to lower the
national drunk driving standard to .08 percent blood alcohol content, a
move that we know, from the experience of States that have already done
it, could save hundreds of lives every single year in the United States.
I know that Congress is, as always, under a lot of interest-group
pressure not to do this, but I hope, for the sake of highway safety and
human life, they will.
Later this week, Congress will send me a short-term budget
resolution. I expect I'll sign it so that we can continue to meet our
responsibilities to the American people, but I ask Congress to finish
the work they were sent here to do. Let's sit down for serious
negotiations on a budget that preserves fiscal discipline, invests in
our people, and produces real results and real progress for America.
I'd also like to say a few words about our efforts to hold tobacco
companies accountable. Today the court ruled that our case alleging the
tobacco companies were engaged in fraud in marketing tobacco can go
ahead, although not on the other counts. This remains a very important
opportunity for the American people to have their day in court against
big tobacco and its marketing practices. I urge Congress to provide the
funding to allow the lawsuit to move forward and not to shield the
tobacco industry from the consequences of its actions.
Thank you very much.
Minimum Wage Legislation
Q. Mr. President, the Republican leadership would like to attach
certain provisions and amendments to the minimum wage bill, which are
opposed by organized labor. Would you sign the bill if it came to you
with their additions to it?
The President. Well, I don't believe that we ought to lower the pay
of many tens of thousands of Americans under present Federal law to
raise the pay of people who plainly deserve a minimum wage. I do not
believe the minimum wage should be a vehicle to wreck fair labor
standards that have been well established in our law and that could not
be repealed on their own.
I think some tax relief for small business is appropriate. The
initial package was more than 3 times as high as the one that Congress
attached when we raised the minimum wage in 1996. And if we're going to
have that much tax relief, then I want to talk about what it's going to
be and who is going to benefit.
But this Congress has some interesting priorities. It didn't take
them any time to repeal the estate tax or to pass other big tax cuts
that benefited people in very high income levels, but they can't seem to
get around to raising the minimum wage. The last time we raised the
minimum wage, they said that it would hurt unemployment, hurt the
economy, hurt the small businesses of the country. We set a new record
for small business starts every year since. We've got a 30-year low in
unemployment. This is just a simple question of whether we're going to
give 10 million hardworking Americans a chance to have a decent life and
to take care of their children in a decent way. And I hope they'll pass
it.
Yugoslav Elections
Q. Mr. President, if you're convinced, as you said a couple of
minutes ago, that Yugoslav opposition has made a persuasive case that
they've won the election outright, why have you not explicitly called
for Mr. Milosevic to step down?
The President. Well, I thought we did say that. I think when the
head of the Serb church says that he
considers Mr. Milosevic's opponent to be
the new President of Yugoslavia, I think it's--and when the commission
that is totally under the thumb of the Government, without any outside
observers, even they acknowledge that he won 49 to 39 or 38 percent, and
when they have evidence that by no means all the votes for the
opposition candidate were counted, I think that's a pretty good case
that it's time for democracy and for the voices of the people of Serbia
to be heard. And that's what I think should happen.
And as I said, when that happens, I would strongly support immediate
moves to lift the sanctions.
[[Page 1977]]
RU-486
Q. Mr. President, the abortion drug RU-486 was approved for sale
today. Is that fight finally over? And why did it take so long?
The President. Well, first of all, this administration treated that
issue as purely one of science and medicine. And the decision to be made
under our law is whether the drug should be approved by the FDA on the
grounds of safety. And I think that they bent over backwards to do a lot
of serious inquiries.
And Secretary Shalala can explain it in
greater detail than me, but there's a long history here about why it
took so long. But the FDA is basically doing its job. It's now done its
job. And I regret that some members of the other party apparently have
already tried to politicize it. I note Dr. Healey, who was the NIH commissioner under President Bush, said
that she agreed with the decision of the FDA. And I think it ought to be
treated as the scientific and medical decision it was, and we should
respect the fact that it was a nonpolitical inquiry and that they took
so long to try to make sure they were making a good decision.
Press Secretary Joe Lockhart. Thank
you very much. Thank you; thank you.
Q. How do you think that affects the debate over abortion? And do
you think a Bush administration will try to overturn it?
The President. Why don't you ask him that
question? You should ask him that question, not me. I think that's for
the people that are out there running to answer.
Note: The President spoke at 3:05 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Slobodan Milosevic of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro); Yugoslav
opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica; Serbian Patriarch Pavel,
president of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church;
former National Institutes of Health Director Bernadine P. Healey; and
Republican Presidential candidate Gov. George W. Bush of Texas. A tape
was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.