[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 8 (Monday, March 1, 1993)]
[Pages 252-254]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Radio Address to the Nation on the Economic Plan

 February 20, 1993

    This is Bill Clinton. As you know, this week I sent Congress my 
economic plan to create new jobs and to lift the living standards of 
Americans and their children. This morning I want to talk with you 
directly about it.
    Let's begin with the children. If you're on your way to soccer 
practice or to take your children to a grocery store, if you can see 
from the window of your apartment children riding bikes or tossing a 
snowball, you know why we care so much about our schools and our 
neighborhoods and why we feel so

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strongly about being able to give our children what they need in life. 
We've always been a strong and caring nation where families worked hard 
to pass on something better to their children, and where government 
accepted the responsibility to support the efforts of families and the 
futures of our kids. But for too many years, our families have struggled 
without the help they need.

    Our Federal Government in Washington has spent more than it had, run 
up huge deficits and, yet, done nothing during difficult economic times 
to help families and their children. We neglected our economy and those 
very efforts like education, health care, training, and nutrition, where 
national investments today pay big dividends in the future. Gridlock 
here in our Capital between the parties and among all the special 
interests has simply blocked progress, leading us to the politics of 
least resistance. A lot of people talked about change, but it never 
came. I hope those days of business as usual are over.

    This year can be different with your help. I've presented a plan to 
grow this economy, a plan that takes America in historic new directions 
to improve the lives of our workers, our businesses, and our families. 
We can cut the deficit and increase investment if we have the courage to 
make changes.

    Let's begin with investment. My proposal invests in infants and 
young children in programs that guarantee big returns for every dollar 
spent. For example, I've asked Congress to approve an immunization 
program to reach all children under the age of two with the shots they 
need to fight preventable diseases, like polio, measles, tetanus, and 
the mumps. Every $1 invested today saves $10 in the future in 
preventable childhood diseases. But today, of all the countries in our 
hemisphere, only Haiti and Bolivia have lower immunization rates than 
the United States. We can do better.

    I've also recommended a maximum effort for nutrition programs to 
help pregnant mothers have healthy babies, and full funding for the Head 
Start program, the most successful early education program our country 
has ever seen. Again, we know now that $1 invested today will save $3 in 
avoidable health and education problems for these children in the 
future.

    I believe our families must also again enjoy the rewards that come 
with productive work. Under our new direction, the working poor will 
rise out of poverty. Welfare recipients will be trained for work not 
welfare. And because families must also take responsibility for their 
own children, there will be tougher requirements for parents to pay 
their own child support, including stiffening our collection procedures 
and identifying parents when the child is born.

    And to restart America's economic engine, our primary and principal 
goal, we'll take several historic steps. We'll reward investments in 
small business with a permanent tax credit and fund new research and 
development. We'll create new incentives for bigger business to always 
be investing in high quality equipment and the best training and jobs 
for their workers. We'll create a better environment for all of the 
private sector, both business and agriculture and self-employed people 
through deficit reduction, lower interest rates, and better-trained 
workers. We'll build enterprise zones and community development banks 
across the country so that investment capital can flow to people and to 
forgotten neighborhoods desperate for the chance to grow. And I'd like 
to put hundreds of thousands of idle people back to work right now, 
repairing our public works and building the new infrastructure of 
tomorrow. As our plan restores the economy to health, millions more jobs 
will be created. These are the values and goals our plan is designed to 
accomplish. They reflect an economy that puts people first.

    But you must all be wondering how we'll provide the means to reach 
our goals. First, we'll cut wasteful or inessential Government spending. 
I've cut the White House staff by 25 percent and told the Federal 
agencies they must cut $9 billion in administrative waste and to reduce 
personnel slots by 100,000. I've asked Congress to freeze the salaries 
paid by Federal Government workers next year and to match the 
administrative cuts that I've proposed for the Government agencies. 
They've agreed to match those ad- 

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ministrative cuts, and I hope they'll agree to the other budget cuts, 
too. I don't like asking for these contributions, but I have to deliver 
to you a leaner Government and a more vibrant economy in return.

    I do propose to raise income tax rates, but only for the top 1.2 
percent of taxpayers, those taxpayers whose taxes went down in the 
1980's while their incomes went way up. And our overall tax proposal 
will cost a family of four with an income of $40,000 less than $17 a 
month.

    Finally, I will cut almost $250 billion from more than 150 domestic 
programs, many of them with some merit, and from the defense budget.

    Now a lot of interests will argue that these cuts are too steep. 
Still others will say they're not enough or demand that we protect their 
pet projects while cutting someone else. To all, I say the same thing: 
Give me real cuts, don't waste the people's time anymore. I'm committed 
to cutting every bit of spending we can from programs we don't need or 
can't afford. And I won't raise taxes without cutting spending. But tell 
us exactly where you want to cut, and I'll gladly listen.

    It's time to put politics aside and put America first. It's been 
years since our Government fought for working families and gave them a 
system where they could thrive and pass the American dream on to their 
children. It's time to include all Americans again, to build a new 
prosperity, not because we want new wealth for the Government but 
because we want to renew the dreams of our children, all of them.

    I'm determined to take us in a new direction, and I ask you to join 
me in this fight for the future. Support your elected Representatives 
who are demonstrating the courage to change. If you do, we can write the 
next great chapter in the history of the greatest country the world has 
ever known. Thank you, and good morning.

Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office.