Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 22, 1993 TAG: 9302220081
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Washington Post and The Associated Press
DATELINE: SANTA MONICA, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
CLINTON: CUTS BEFORE TAXES
President Clinton insisted Sunday that he will not let Congress raise taxes without cutting spending, and he challenged critics of his economic plan to "do better, and not talk about doing better.""I will not support a tax increase . . . until I know we have the spending cuts," Clinton told a supportive crowd of about 2,000 students, elected officials and Hollywood stars.
But he also announced some spending. Clinton told the audience he will release $500 million previously appropriated for retraining defense workers - money frozen by the Bush administration.
New investment can provide defense workers with peaceable high-tech projects, with an emphasis on cleaning up the environment, he said.
The rally at Santa Monica College was Clinton's first stop on a two-day West Coast trip. He takes his campaign to aerospace workers at Boeing today.
Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, on "This Week With David Brinkley," said the administration may seek to delay the effective date for its proposed tax increases.
Although the administration had said income-tax increases would be retroactive to Jan. 1, Bentsen said that could be subject to negotiation with Congress.
On the same show, Senate Minority Leader Robert Dole, R-Kan., dismissed polls showing popular support for the Clinton plan. "I think these polls indicate that he made a good speech, not that it's a good plan," he said. "If I had my way, and I'm just one Republican, I would freeze spending across the board except for low-income, vulnerable groups."
Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said on CNN's "Newsmaker Sunday" he has prepared a list of spending changes that would save $216 billion. He would not reveal the list, but said the biggest savings would come from Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and Head Start.