I learned with deep regret this morning of the death of former President of France François Mitterrand.

President Mitterrand's stalwart leadership during some of the Alliance's greatest challenges leaves the people of Europe with a hard-won legacy of peace.

He was a man of vision whose strength helped bring Europe and the West through a period of tough confrontation to the peaceful, undivided Europe we are building today.

We hope the sorrow of this difficult time will be eased by an appreciation of the profound contribution that President Mitterrand made to his nation and the world.

He was a great statesman.

Clearly, this is no way to run the Government and deliver services and benefits to millions of Americans.

We want to welcome back those of you who have been furloughed and express our deep appreciation to all of you in the federal work force.

I hope that no Congress will ever again shut the Federal Government down in this way.

I hereby submit to the Congress a plan to achieve a balanced budget not later than the fiscal year 2002 as certified by the Congressional Budget Office on January 6, 1996.

Today I have signed into law H.R. 1358, the Seventh Continuing Resolution for fiscal 1996.

But—whether you were furloughed or working—by your commitment and your sacrifice, you continued to serve our nation as loyally as ever during this crisis.

It is morally indefensible to hold needed Government services and hard-working Government employees hostage in a political battle.

Let us be clear: there was absolutely no excuse for this shutdown.

I'm prepared to just stay all day.

This bill is a step in the right direction— but only a step.

This plan has been prepared by Senator Daschle and if passed in its current form by the Congress, I would sign it into law.

At this point, the Congress should work with me to reach agreement on these six measures.

Clearly, this bill is only a partial solution to the partial shutdown.