Clinton calls for major tax cut, new gun controlsIn State of the Union address, president unveils long list of proposalsBy Randy Lilleston/CNN
January 28, 2000
Web posted at: 12:44 a.m. EST (0544 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sounding more like a chief executive in mid-term than one whose tenure is ending, President Bill Clinton called Thursday for a major new gun licensing program, a $350 billion tax cut, expansion of federal health care programs and new environmental programs.
Clinton used his eighth State of the Union address to outline a long list of proposals, one the White House had characterized all week as designed in part to show he is still a viable chief executive with substantive work to do. The president took a few moments to bask in the accomplishments he felt his administration had made, but he spent far more time suggesting dozens of programs.
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President Clinton: "The state of our union is the strongest it has ever been."
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"The state of our union is the strongest it has ever been," Clinton told the joint session of Congress -- a none-too-subtle change from a tradition of most presidents, who start their addresses by claiming the state of the union is "strong." (356K wav file)
"We are fortunate to be alive in this moment in history. Never before has our nation enjoyed at once so much prosperity and social progress with so little internal crisis and so few external threats," Clinton said. Noting that "next month, America will achieve the longest period of economic growth in our entire history," Clinton said the challenge was to expand that growth to those who had not yet participated in its benefits. (484K wav file)
Aides have said all week that Clinton, in presenting the State of the Union address of his final year in office, would give an address short on nostalgia. That was the case, as Clinton offered something for many constituencies, from lower-income families to married couples affected by the so-called "marriage tax" to people seeking health care coverage to those who seek an overhaul of the campaign finance system.
Clinton was interrupted 128 times for applause during his 89-minute address -- his longest yet, beating his 1995 address by eight minutes.
Likely to get the most immediate attention is Clinton's tax cut proposal, which would be phased in over 10 years and is smaller than many Republican proposals. Competing tax cut plans have become political fodder in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail.
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The president was interrupted by applause 128 times during his speech.
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Clinton suggested expanding the earned income tax credit, which benefits lower-income working families. "Their children should not be in poverty," he said. He also offered tax credits for businesses who invest in inner cities and rural areas. (452K wav file)
"This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. Giving people a chance to live their dreams is an American issue," he said. (364K wav file)
Under Clinton's gun control plan, potential handgun buyers first would have to obtain a license showing they have passed a criminal background check and have received gun safety training. Although states could choose not to participate, a federally approved gun dealer or a federal entity would issue licenses in those states, a White House official said Thursday.
The president also proposed spending $280 million for 500 new inspectors and agents in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, along with more than 1,000 federal state and local gun prosecutors. The president also said the money would be used to help develop so-called smart guns, which prevent anyone other than their owners from firing them.
In one of the night's most dramatic moments, Clinton introduced Tom Mauser, father of Columbine massacre victim Daniel Mauser, who has become a major advocate for stricter gun control legislation.
The president said Congress should make "common sense gun legislation the very next order of business," and he said existing laws must be better enforced -- a regular complaint of gun rights activists.
As has been the case in his past State of the Union addresses, Clinton offered a long list of new programs and overhauls. Thursday, he proposed:
-- Spending $400 billion from the anticipated federal surplus to keep Medicare, the federal health care program for the elderly and disabled, viable through 2025. Clinton also wants to spend $110 billion over the next 10 years to improve public access to health care, mostly through expanding federal programs to cover an additional 5 million Americans. He also suggested spending $28 billion over the next 10 years for $3,000-per-person tax credits to help pay for long-term care, $19 billion on biomedical research, and $175 million on HIV and AIDS treatment, education and preventative outreach programs.
--Spending $30 billion over 10 years on tax relief for college students and families; and spending an additional $5 billion for after-school and summer school programs for children.
--Several new environmental programs, including $1.3 billion to help family farms protect their water supplies and $30 million for wetlands protection.
--A variety of civil rights-oriented programs, including money for expansion of the Justice Department's civil rights division, as well as $27 million to fight employment practices that discriminate against women.
--Providing an additional $3 billion in science and technology research. "We owe it to our future," Clinton said of the proposal, which he said was the largest in a generation.
--Closing the so-called digital divide between those affluent enough to own a computer and those who do not. Clinton suggested new tax incentives designed to provide greater computer access.
--Congressional approval of normalized trade relations status for China. "It will plainly advance the cause of peace in Asia and promote the cause of change in China," said the president, who is pushing for Chinese entry into the World Trade Organization.
But there was much more -- dozens of proposals in all, spun out at a rapid pace. "Never before have we had such a blessed opportunity -- and therefore such a profound obligation -- to build the more perfect union of our founders' dreams," Clinton said.
The mood on Capitol Hill for Thursday's address was far brighter than last year, when Clinton was mired in the midst of an impeachment trial. Despite the backdrop of the election year -- and the presence of Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic presidential nomination front-runner -- Clinton repeatedly emphasized bipartisanship.
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Baseball great Hank Aaron was one of the president's invited guests to his last State of the Union address.
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At one point, Clinton made a whopper of a non sequitur at the vice president's expense. The president said repeatedly, "Last year, the vice president launched a program to make our communities more liberal" when he meant to use the word "liveable," causing laughter all around but creating an irresistible election-year video clipping. (668K wav file)
The guests invited to the address by the president represented a broad spectrum as well. They included Mauser; former baseball star Hank Aaron; Dr. Francis S. Collins, who oversees the federal government's project to map and sequence all human DNA by 2003; and U.S. Air Force Capt. John Cherrey of Englewood, N.J., who was awarded the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross after he rescued a pilot who was shot down during the NATO mission in Yugoslavia last year.
In the Republican response, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Frist of Tennessee outlined a Republican agenda that touched on many of the same topics as Clinton, but with different proposed solutions.
Discussing education proposals, Collins said, "The debate in Washington is not about money. It is about who makes the decisions." Frist, a doctor, called on Clinton to "give us a health care plan that includes choice and security."
CNN's John King, Bob Franken, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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State of the Union address - Clinton walk-in and introduction
Republican response