[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 43 (Monday, October 26, 1998)]
[Page 2092]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Departure for the Wye River Middle East Peace Talks

October 22, 1998

Legislative Agenda

    Good morning. The closing gavel has come down now on the 105th 
Congress, and I want to take a moment to discuss what we've done and the 
unfinished, vital business that still remains.
    Just a few moments ago, I was pleased to sign into law important 
legislation requested by my administration to encourage States and to 
help them to open more innovative, independent public charter schools 
and to hold these schools strictly accountable for results. This will 
make sure that other public schools can actually learn from the best of 
these charter schools. That is the right way to strengthen our public 
schools.
    When I took office in 1993, there was only one charter school 
actually operating in America. Now there are a thousand, many of them 
helped by previous administration-supported legislation. This 
legislation puts us well on our way to creating 3,000 charter schools by 
the year 2000.
    On charter schools, Congress did put progress over partisanship. But 
on too many other issues, Congress has left town and left the work of 
the American people behind. This Congress' failure to act in many areas 
has had real cost for our families. Partisanship killed my proposal to 
use tax cuts, fully paid for in the balanced budget, to build or 
modernize 5,000 schools. Partisanship killed the Patients' Bill of 
Rights, which would guarantee your right to see a specialist, to medical 
privacy, to the nearest emergency care, to keep your doctor during the 
course of treatment, to have medical decisions made by doctors, not 
insurance company accountants. Partisanship killed tough legislation to 
crack down on teen smoking, even as teen smoking continues to rise and 
is the number one public health problem our young people face. 
Partisanship killed an increase in the minimum wage, which would give a 
much needed pay raise to our hardest pressed working families. 
Partisanship killed our best chance in years for tough campaign finance 
reform. And partisanship blocked our efforts to make child care more 
affordable for working families.
    The American people deserve better. I hope when the next Congress 
convenes, it will put progress ahead of partisanship in a way that this 
Congress has not done.
    Now I am returning to the Middle East talks on the Eastern Shore of 
Maryland. The hardest decisions now, at last, are on the table. Israel, 
the Palestinians, the region, and the world have very much at stake 
today. I hope the parties will seize this opportunity and not retreat 
from the clear moment to capture the momentum of peace and keep it 
moving forward.

Note: The President spoke at 8:55 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House.