[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 23 (Monday, June 14, 1993)]
[Pages 1057-1058]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters Prior to a Meeting With the 
Domestic Policy Council

 June 10, 1993

Economic Program

    The President. I want to make a statement now that we have the 
Domestic Policy Council here, about what is going on in the Senate.
    First of all, I'm very encouraged that the Senate Finance Committee 
is working hard in trying to push the process forward. I want to 
reemphasize that, to me, in the end, we have to have certain basic 
principles satisfied: $500 billion in deficit reduction in the trust 
fund so that all the spending cuts and taxes have to be protected for 
that; $250 billion of spending cuts. The taxes have to fall primarily on 
those best able to pay them. Right now, over two-thirds of the taxes 
fall on people with incomes above $200,000, 75 percent on people with 
incomes above $100,000. I want the energy tax to be pro-conservation and 
as broad-based as possible. And I want the initiatives for growth and 
jobs in there, the earned-income tax credit to encourage the working 
poor to move out of poverty, the empowerment zones for investment in our 
cities, the incentives to create jobs. Those are the principles that I 
want.
    I want to remind you all, too, that the Senate and House will 
naturally have some disagreements. But when we wind up in conference, we 
can perhaps get the best bill of all. The main thing, until the Senate 
acts, we can't go to conference and get a final bill to continue this 
progress.
    What the final shape of the energy portion of this will be no one 
can now say because that will have to await the conference. But I am 
very encouraged that progress is being made, and I do appreciate the 
fact that the Senate began consultations with the House yesterday, which 
is consistent with the commitments that were made on that.
    Q. Where is the progress?
    Q. Well, what do you say to Democrats in the House who feel like 
they walked the plank on the budget for nothing at this point?
    The President. They didn't walk the plank on the budget for nothing. 
Their budget is going to be part of the conference. And they are being 
consulted now, and no decision has been made by the Senate yet.
    You know, Chairman Moynihan and Senator Mitchell started with the 
Senators who are most hostile to the Btu tax. But they have 11 Senators 
on a committee they have to satisfy. And then they have to get a 
majority in the body of the Senate. So no decisions have been made yet. 
And most of those House Members with whom I talked in the process of 
passing the bill through the House only wanted to make sure that the 
House would also be consulted before the Senate committee finally voted. 
And we took steps to ensure that, and they began the consultative 
process yesterday.
    Q. You've got the Black Caucus apparently so upset that they're not 
coming to a meeting here. What do you tell those people?
    The President. That is not why there's not going to be a meeting 
here. But the Black Caucus, if they want to advocate for the Btu tax, 
you know, I like it. I think it's the best and fairest tax. And I think 
the Secretary of the Treasury made a very good proposal for a 
modification of it. But neither they nor I have a vote on the Senate 
Finance Committee. And so we'll just--but it will be--the Btu levy will 
be in the conference, and no decision has been made. I have not signed 
off on any energy proposal in the Senate yet. I believe that the 
proposal we made is the best one we have. But neither they nor I have a 
vote on the Senate Finance Committee.
    Let me say, in the end, the most important thing is that we bring 
the deficit down, that we cut spending, that we raise taxes on the 
wealthy, and that we invest money to grow

[[Page 1058]]

this economy. That's the most important thing. We've got to find a way 
to do that consistent with what has happened already. And I'm very 
encouraged. I don't think--the American people shouldn't be upset by 
what's going on. The House--they should go talk to their Senators if 
they have a different view, and they want them to take a different view 
toward these particular taxes. That's what I'm trying to do, is to get 
the House and the Senate to work together before the Senate Finance 
Committee even votes.

Macedonia

    Q. Why are there troops on the ground in Macedonia, Mr. President?
    The President. To limit the conflict. As we said all along, we would 
support the United Nations in limiting the conflict. It's a very limited 
thing. No combat but an attempt to limit the conflict.

Note: The President spoke at 10:07 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
exchange.