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Againt the deal from the right, Sen. Gramm (128K wav) |
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Againt the deal from the left, Sen. Wellstone (192K wav) |
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Rep. Archer says this is only the beginning (192K wav) |
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Rep. Kasich gives power to the people (256K wav) |
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Sen. Domenici has waited 20 years for this agreement (256K wav) |
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Rep. Armey says Republicans got what they wanted (288K wav) |
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Rep. DeFazio warns this deal is too good to be true (384K wav) |
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Rep. Salmon says it could have been worse (256K wav) |
Related Stories:
The Budget: A Look At The Spending Side (7/30/97)
Congress To Vote On Budget, Tax Bills (7/30/97)
Weighing In On The Budget Deal (7/30/97)
Clinton, GOP Leaders Hail Budget Pact (7/29/97)
Explaining The Budget (7/29/97)
How The Deal Affects You: A look at the agreement's tax breaks for families, capital gains and education. (7/29/97)
GOP, White House Say Budget A Done Deal (7/28/97)
Senate, House Approve Historic Budget Plans (6/25/97)
In Focus: The Balanced Budget
If you're looking for more information on the struggle to reach the balanced budget agreement, check out this balanced budget backgrounder.
Take A Stand! Will the deal work? | The Tally
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'The best investment we can make in America's future'
"This agreement meets my goal of balancing the budget in a way that honors our values, invests in our people, and prepares America for the 21st century. It is very, very good for our country ... It is the best investment we can make in America's future."
-- President Bill Clinton
'No one thought'
"Four and a half years ago, no one thought that we could possibly cut spending, shrink the federal work force to its smallest size since the 1960s, and, at the same time, give this country more education, more health care for our children, better protection of the environment, and real tax relief for families. But that is what President Clinton has done for the United States of America."
-- Vice President Al Gore
'A new era of freedom'
"Today we celebrate the beginning of a new era of freedom. We have joined the president, and we have come to an agreement that will lead us to less Washington spending, to tax relief for working Americans, to security for our senior citizens, and less dependency on the government, more responsibility and opportunity for individuals, communities and states. This truly is a great moment."
-- Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.)
'We join the president in working together'
"It is a great victory for all Americans. It is a bipartisan victory. We join the president in working together to truly create a better future for all of us and our children."
-- House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)
'In the 1980s we mortgaged America's future'
"In the 1980s we mortgaged America's future. Today we are making the last down payment on that mortgage. This budget agreement gives America's children back their shot at the American dream."
-- Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.)
'This agreement sacrifices tomorrow's hopes for today's headlines'
"The budget and tax agreement announced today attempts to balance our federal budget in the short term but is shortsighted because it does not address our nation's needs in the long term. Unfortunately, this agreement sacrifices tomorrow's hopes for today's headlines."
-- House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.)
'A superb bill'
"This is a superb bill for America. It lets people keep their money, increases growth and job opportunity, and it's just the beginning. You ain't seen nothing yet." -- Rep. Bill Archer (R-Texas), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee
'We have now shattered the myth that we as Democrats are spending Democrats and taxing Democrats
"So we have now shattered the myth that we as Democrats are spending Democrats and taxing Democrats, because we have come forward in support of the president's package."
-- Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee
'American people, we heard you'
"We are proud to join with the president, who is not of our party, to join hands and say, 'American people, we heard you.' You wanted us to work together, we have, and now the American people have a victory, not Republicans and not Democrats, all Americans win today."
-- Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee
'A down payment on the 21st century
"Mr. President, this day you delivered a down payment on the 21st century for a stable and thriving America. And we thank you for it."
-- Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, senior Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee
'Republican ideas -- make no mistake about that'
"Balancing the budget and cutting taxes are Republican ideas -- make no mistake about that. We can be proud that we are carrying out these ideas in a bipartisan manner. We have found that Republican common-sense ideas do have allies on the Democratic side."
-- Sen. William Roth, (R-Del.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee
'We are about to declare 'mission accomplished' '
"Year after year, in survey after survey, balancing the budget has been our No. 1 priority. I believe we are about to declare 'mission accomplished.'"
-- Bruce Josten, senior vice president, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
'Preventing rash and thoughtless changes in Medicare '
"Preventing rash and thoughtless changes in Medicare was certainly a big victory for working families and we can now consider its future in a careful and deliberate manner." -- John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO