[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 6 (Monday, February 15, 1993)]
[Pages 163-165]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Remarks at a Meeting With Cabinet Members
February 10, 1993
The President. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to sign these
Executive orders, and then I will go over to the microphone and make a
statement about each one.
The first order requires by attrition a reduction in Federal
positions of 100,000. The second order is a reduction in the
administrative costs of the present Federal Government by 3 percent per
year on average leading up to 5 percent in the 4th year of this 4-year
term and abolishing several boards and commissions. The third order
deals with the commissions.
These are memoranda to the Department heads. One deals with perks;
one deals with Government vehicles; one deals with aircraft.
[At this point, the President signed the documents.]
Members of the Cabinet and staff, tonight I will be going to
Michigan and the Vice President will be going to California to hold town
meetings with American citizens to talk
[[Page 164]]
to them about the economic problems and the budget mess that we have
inherited and the priorities and principles we intend to bring to our
efforts to change the country and bring about recovery.
The people demand and deserve an active Government on their side.
But they don't want a Government that wastes money, a Government that
costs more and does less. They voted for change. They wanted a literal
revolution in the way Government operates, and now you and I must
deliver.
Yesterday I announced the reorganization of the White House staff
that will reduce our staff by 25 percent and cut costs by $10 million
per year. Today I have called you, the Members of the Cabinet, together
to take the next step, to begin the overhaul of Government as a whole.
The steps we're taking today will save the American taxpayer $9 billion.
They won't be easy, but they will make a difference. We have an
obligation and an opportunity to change the way Government works and to
show that Government can do more with less.
Our Government needs change. For the last dozen years I've heard our
leaders call loudly for less Government while giving people more
Government and, perhaps more importantly, while giving almost no
attention to better or different Government, to new ways in which
partnerships could be made with people in the private sector and in
State and local governments. Too often in the last decade people have
rushed to defend the power of the few at the top and privileges of the
elite, not just in the private sector but also in Government. Too often
when economic security of ordinary Americans has been threatened,
Government has sat still, refused to lead--not even follow, just get in
the way. That era has come to an end with our coming to office.
Today the Cabinet and I are taking several steps to show that we
intend to change the way that Government works. But I want to make it
clear this is only a beginning, not the end of the process.
First, I am ordering a reduction of the Federal bureaucracy by at
least 100,000 positions over the next 4 years. At least 10 percent of
these cuts must come from senior management. The cuts can come from
attrition; I see no need for layoffs. These cuts will make our
Government more efficient and more effective. The Government is full of
dedicated people whose hard work is being choked off by our own
bureaucracy.
Second, I'm ordering each Federal department and agency to reduce
its administrative, as opposed to its program, costs by 12 percent over
the next 4 years. With better planning and innovation we can make better
use of the money we already have. In many agencies overhead is too high,
redtape is too thick, and the day-to-day operations of the agencies have
not been reexamined in a very long time. I believe Government can both
care about people and be careful with their money.
Third, I am today ordering the elimination of hundreds of
unproductive and duplicative advisory commissions that have spread
across this Government like kudzu. I'm asking the Office of Management
and Budget to eliminate at least one-third of the 700 advisory boards
and commissions that were not created by Congress. From now on agencies
and departments will not be allowed to create new commissions without
permission from OMB. We simply cannot allow the Federal bureaucracy to
beget more bureaucracy.
Finally, we have to shrink the gulf between Government and the
average citizen. Too often success in Washington is measured not by
results but by perks. Today I've issued three directives that will begin
to limit perks and privileges that have driven a wedge between
Washington and the public: First, an end to widespread use of home-to-
office limousines by top officials and a reduction in the limousine
fleets overall by half. Second, I'm tightening the rules for using
Government airplanes and ordering an inventory of the airplane fleet
with an eye toward eliminating unnecessary planes. Many people believe
that there are substantial savings here. Finally, I'm ordering the
elimination of such perks as below-cost executive dining rooms and free
membership in private health clubs.
However, I do want to say to you, as I just told the Cabinet before
we came in, this administration was also elected to provide a health
care plan for the American people, including setting a good example. And
one of the ways I want to do that is to keep people
[[Page 165]]
healthier. So, I will also encourage every Government agency to provide
health facilities in any building of any size, as long as they are
provided on equal terms to all employees from the building maintenance
people to the Secretary of the Department.
These Executive orders are just a beginning, but they're a good
beginning. We will now move on to really try to find ways to reinvent
the way Government works and relates to people: how we can empower
people more and entitle them less, how we can have more effective
partnerships with the private sector and with State and local
government, how we can find some of the dramatic productivity
innovations that have characterized our finest companies over the last
few years.
I'd like to now call upon a few of our Cabinet Secretaries to
discuss some of the things that they have been doing in their agencies,
beginning with the Labor Secretary, Secretary Reich.
[At this point, Secretary Reich spoke about how eliminating executive
perks improves management-labor relations.]
The President. Secretary O'Leary.
[At this point, Secretary O'Leary spoke about the example set by staff
reductions in her own office.]
The President. I also appreciate what you've done to make the
building more accessible over there.
Secretary O'Leary. Thank you.
The President. Secretary Cisneros.
[At this point, Secretary Cisneros spoke about HUD cost-cutting measures
and management improvement efforts.]
The President. Secretary Babbitt.
[At this point, Secretary Babbitt spoke about Interior Department
management improvement and elimination of perks.]
The President. Well, thank you. One of us has had a big problem to
deal with in the last few days, and my impression is that he's done
quite well. I'd like to ask Secretary Espy just to give a report about
the crisis he's been dealing with and what his recommendation has been.
[At this point, Secretary Espy spoke about plans for improvement of the
meat inspection program.]
The President. Anybody else like to be heard?
Bosnia
Q. Mr. President, changing the subject, since Secretary Christopher
is going to talk about Bosnia this afternoon, could you at least tell us
are U.S. troops a part of the initiative that will be unveiled this
afternoon?
The President. I think I should let Secretary Christopher give his
speech first. We have all worked very hard on this Bosnia policy ever
since we took office and even before, trying to find a way to do more
but do it with the support of our allies and through the United Nations.
I think I'll let him give his speech, and then I'll be glad to answer
questions about the policies after he does.
Q. Do you think the public----
The President. I think the public will support the policy that he
will outline today, yes. I think they will want us to do more and want
us to do it in a prudent way. And I think that they will support this
policy.
Note: The President spoke at 10:33 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
House.