Clinton Will Visit New Mexico Tuesday

By Eileen O'Connor/CNN

WASHINGTON (Feb. 2) -- President Bill Clinton travels to New Mexico on Tuesday to trumpet the 21st Century Fund, totaling $170 billion for civilian research over the next five years.

Stopping at Los Alamos, N.M., home of the atomic bomb, the president will tour the national laboratory, where nuclear research was conducted for decades. He will see a demonstration of a supercomputer involved in imagery testing done in place of actually detonating test nuclear weapons. The president will announce that $4.5 billion has been earmarked in the budget for the technology, which officials say is enabling the United States to lead the world in supporting the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

This is all part of the high-tech nuclear stockpile stewardship program, which ensures high confidence in U.S. nuclear weapons. Some of the high-speed computers used in this program are being used for civilian applications, including climate control, health, crime and the environment. Those computers can do 1,000 trillion calculations per second. The budget includes $850 million specifically for those computers.

This is the president's second visit to Los Alamos in five years.

Clinton will also address the citizens of Albuquerque, restating the theme he highlighted in his State of the Union address on the importance of investment in science and technology. White House officials say he will emphasize the role technology plays in everyday life, giving people new means to tackle problems more efficiently.

Monday Feb. 2, 1998

• Clinton Unveils His Balanced Budget
• The Budget: Nitty-Gritty Details
• Republicans Criticize New Spending In Clinton Budget
• Starr Subpoenas Stephanopulous
• Jones To Appeal Ruling Excluding Lewinsky From Her Case
• Clinton Will Visit New Mexico Tuesday
• Panetta Won't Run For Governor
• Lewinsky's Mother To Marry Media Executive