Bill Clinton: “First of all, there are a lot of Republicans that down deep in their heart want this program to live. And after all, we…”

“First of all, there are a lot of Republicans that down deep in their heart want this program to live. And after all, we created this program with bipartisan support. I went out of my way in 1993 to say that I did not want any educational initiative created if we didn't have bipartisan support for it. I did not want this to be a partisan issue. And I have not made it a partisan issue. And I just believe that we have to be more discriminating about what we eliminate. To go back to the question you asked, I honestly believe that, particularly in the House of Rep- resentatives, there are 100 to 150 Members that I believe that, except for the national defense, any tax cut is better than any spending program. But I think that's wrong. And we don't have to--we do not have to eliminate this to balance the budget. And I think I'll be able to make that point as we get into these budget negotiations. And I think--I think the program will survive because it's a good, decent program, it's an effective program, and it has bipartisan support. Budget Debate”