Gingrich Rips Clinton Over Government Spending
By Ann Curley/CNN
WASHINGTON (July 23) -- House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Wednesday accused President Bill Clinton of looking for ways to expand the federal bureaucracy, saying the president "already sent us a budget with a $150 billion extra spending above the budget deal."
Gingrich was responding to remarks by Clinton calling across-the-board tax cuts "irresponsible" and asking Congress to wait a year for cuts and instead focus on reforming the ailing Social Security system. "Liberals oppose tax cuts because they want to spend the surplus on government programs," Gingrich said.
"This president already supported seventeen new bureaucracies in one bill in the Senate," he said. "The fact is, the liberals want to keep the money in Washington so they can spend in Washington."
House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R-Ohio) said "there's no question about it, we can set aside a very large amount -- the most in modern history -- to save Social Security, and we can also give the American people a tax cut."
Kasich said, "We want to ... begin to solve the Social Security problem for three generations and also help American families today to get some of their money back, and that's precisely what our plan will do, and I think the American people will embrace it."
Kasich explained his plan will set aside more than $300 billion for Social Security over a five-year period, "while still letting the American people have about $167 billion in tax relief."
Kasich said, "I think the president is a little tone deaf on this one."
|
News
Clinton