President Clinton Delivers the First Balanced Budget in A Generation Historic Agreement Promotes the Country's Priorities.

President Clinton has achieved a balanced budget agreement that includes critical investments in education, health care, and the environment while strengthening and modernizing Medicare and Medicaid -- just as he promised last year. We have cut the deficit 63% -- from $290 billion in 1992 to $107 billion last year. This historic achievement will finish the job, giving the American people the first balanced budget in a generation, while meeting the President,s goals.

GOAL: To ensure that every 8 year-old can read, every 12 year-old can log on to the Internet, and every 18 year-old can go to college. Largest Pell Grant increase in two decades -- 4 million students will receive a grant of up to $3,000, an increase of $300 in the maximum grant. $35 billion of tax cuts targeted to higher education to make college more affordable for America,s families. An America Reads initiative to mobilize a million tutors to help three million children learn to read by the end of the third grade. Expansion of Head Start -- to achieve goal of one million kids in 2002. Doubles funding to help schools integrate innovative technology into the curriculum.

GOAL: Expand health coverage for as many as 5 million uncovered children. Medicaid improvements and added Medicaid investments. A new capped mandatory grant program that provides additional dollars to supplement states efforts to cover uninsured children in working families.

GOAL: Secure and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid Extends the solvency of Medicare Trust Fund to at least 2007 through long overdue structural reforms. Expands coverage of critical preventive treatments of diseases such as diabetes and breast cancer. Preserves the federal Medicaid guarantee of coverage to our nation,s most vulnerable people.

GOAL: Strengthen environmental protection and enforcement Accelerates Superfund cleanups by almost 500 sites by the year 2000. Expands the Brownfield Redevelopment Initiative to help communities cleanup and redevelop contaminated areas. Boosts environmental enforcement to protect public health from environmental threats.

GOAL: Move people from welfare to work and treat legal immigrants fairly A Welfare-to-Work tax credit to help long-term welfare recipients to get jobs. Restores disability and health benefits for legal immigrants. Restores Medicaid coverage for poor legal immigrant children. Preserves food stamp benefits for people willing to work. Provides States and cities with additional resources to move disadvantaged recipients into jobs.

GOAL: Cut taxes for America,s hard working families A Child Tax Credit to make it easier for families to raise their kids. $35 billion of tax cuts targeted to higher education to make college more affordable A Welfare-to-Work tax credit to help long-term welfare recipients get jobs. Establishes additional Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities.

Bipartisan Budget Agreement

Radio Address, 05/03/97

budget team remarks

bipartisan budget talking points

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