Frank Pallone: “President Clinton has agreed to a 7-year balanced budget using CBO numbers. The problem is that the Republicans do not…”

“President Clinton has agreed to a 7-year balanced budget using CBO numbers. The problem is that the Republicans do not want to protect the priorities that the President thinks are important, such as the environment, Medicare, Medicaid, and also education. I would like to pay particular attention to the environment. The Republicans are saying they want this huge tax cut or tax break, yet they want to cut back on environment enforcement. They do not want to properly fund the Superfund Program to clean up toxic waste sites. In my home State of New Jersey, we have 114 Superfund sites, and a lot of those sites are not being cleaned up now and will not be cleaned up if the Republicans do not agree to fully fund the Superfund Program, which they have not agreed to do so so far. The President has stood strong. He agreed on a balanced budget and he agreed on the Republican terms, but he wants to protect the environment and he wants to make sure the Superfund Program moves forward so that in States like New Jersey those toxic waste sites that pose a direct threat to the health of many Americans who live nearby, he wants to make sure that those sites are cleaned up, and I commend him for it.”