[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 49 (Monday, December 11, 1995)]
[Pages 2147-2148]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Democratic Governors and an Exchange 
With Reporters

December 8, 1995

Medicaid

    The President. Good morning. I am delighted to be here with a number 
of Governors from around our country to talk about the budget debate now 
in Washington. All these Governors who are here present and all those 
who are not have to balance the budget, but they're accountable for 
doing so in a way that increases opportunity for their people and holds 
the people together, maintains the bonds of community. That's what we're 
trying to do here.
    Yesterday I gave the Congress a budget that balances in 7 years 
without devastating cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, education and the 
environment and that does not raise taxes on working families.
    There are many differences between the budget that I vetoed, which 
Congress passed, and the one that I've presented. But perhaps the 
starkest one of all is the different treatment of Medicaid. The 
Republican budget would be a disaster for States and for the people who 
depend upon Medicaid. It would ask the States to do more and more and 
more for the elderly, for the disabled, for poor children and pregnant 
women and give them less help to do it. It would force them to make 
unconscionable and unnecessary choices between senior citizens and 
disabled people, between people with AIDS and nursing home residents.
    The plan would end the guarantee of quality medical care that now 
exists for 26 million Americans, a guarantee that has been on the books 
for three decades now. The Republicans are insisting that we repeal the 
guarantee that no poor child, pregnant mother, poor senior citizen, or 
disabled person will be denied quality medical care. That would 
eliminate the guarantee of nursing home care for as many as 300,000 
people. All told, if current patterns of coverage prevail, some 8 
million people could be denied health care coverage under Medicaid, 
nearly half of them children. No one would want to do this in any State, 
but many States would have no choice under the budget now pending.
    So I just want to be clear about this. I very much want to work with 
the Republican Congress to get a balanced budget. But I will not--I will 
not permit the repeal of guaranteed medical coverage for senior 
citizens, for disabled people, for poor children and pregnant women. 
That would violate our values. It is not necessary, and therefore, if it 
continues to be a part of the budget, if necessary, I would veto it 
again.
    We cannot, we must not do this. This would do more harm to more 
people and do more to undermine the stability of State governments and 
the life of the States in our country than any other provision of this 
budget, in all probability, and we just cannot do it. So I want to make 
that clear.
    On the other hand, let me say again, I am reaching out the hand of 
cooperation to Congress. I did yesterday. I do so again today. But there 
are some things that we cannot and should not change and back away from. 
That resolution that was passed that permitted the Government to go 
forward said that we would protect Medicare, Medicaid, education, and 
the environment. That's what it said. I've done my part. I've offered a 
7-year budget. We cannot destroy Medicaid.

[[Page 2148]]

FED Chairman Alan Greenspan

    Q. Mr. President, are you going to reappoint Alan Greenspan, as the 
New York Times says?
    The President. Did they say that? [Laughter] To be honest with you, 
that's very premature. I haven't even given much thought to it, one way 
or the other. We've had a few other things on the griddle here.

Balkan Peace Process

    Q. Speaking of that, Mr. President, do you think you'll have a 
resolution of support on Bosnia before the treaty signing in Paris next 
week?
    The President. Will we have one? Well, I hope so. I don't know. I'm 
working on it, but I hope so.
    Q. What do you think about half of the House Members signing a 
letter opposing the deployment?
    The President. I hope that both Houses will vote to do it. It's the 
responsible thing to do, and those who paid any attention to the trip 
that I made to Europe last week know that all of the people in Europe 
are looking to see whether the United States will continue our 50-year 
partnership with Europe for security, will continue our leadership in 
NATO, and will do our part. They have only asked us to do a part. They, 
after all, are doing two-thirds of the work on the ground in Bosnia. 
They have asked us as the leader of NATO and the Alliance to send about 
a third of the troops. And in every nation I visited, people came up to 
me and said that America had been able to make peace in Bosnia, and they 
were desperately hoping we would participate so that we could prevent 
any kind of a resumption of the slaughter there, prevent the conflict 
from spreading, and prove that Europe and the United States are still 
partners for security in the post-cold-war era. I feel far more strongly 
about it even than I did before I went last week.
    It's clear to me that our Nation's ability to work with these 
European countries on every other security issue--reducing the nuclear 
threat, fighting terrorism, you name it--depends upon our partnership 
here. That is the issue of the day for them and for millions and 
millions and millions of them. And I think we have to do our part, and 
I'm going to do what I can to persuade the Congress of that.
    Q. Is there any possibility, sir, that the Paris signing next week 
will slide because of what's going on there?
    The President. I know of no plans to delay it. I believe it's going 
to go forward on time.

Note: The President spoke at 9:38 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.