Bill Clinton: “Good morning. With only 5 days left in the current fiscal year, Congress still has a lot of work to do. For almost 7…”

“Good morning. With only 5 days left in the current fiscal year, Congress still has a lot of work to do. For almost 7 years now, Vice President Gore and I have pursued a new economic strategy that focused on fiscal discipline, expanding trade in American products and services, and investing in our people and new technology. The results are now clear. The past 6\1/2\ years have produced the longest peacetime expansion in history: more than 19 million new jobs; rising wages; the lowest unemployment, welfare, and crime rates in a generation; the highest levels of homeownership ever; a balanced budget; and the largest surplus ever. It has given the American people more money in their paychecks, lower interest rates for homes and cars, more help through efforts like the HOPE scholarship to open the doors of college to all. We're on a path of progress and prosperity. The American people want it to continue. That's why 2 days ago I vetoed the Republicans' risky $792 billion tax plan. It was just too big, too bloated; it would place too big a burden on our economy and run the risk of higher interest rates and lower growth. Also, it didn't add a day to the Social Security Trust Fund or a dollar to Medicare. And it would have forced cuts of nearly 50 percent in everything from education to health care to the environment to veterans programs to national security, even in air traffic safety.…”