November 29, 1999
Web posted at: 5:41 p.m. EST (2241 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bill Clinton signed the final $390 billion federal budget package Monday afternoon, saying the sprawling document represents "real progress," but also urging Congress to be "mindful of what we still have to accomplish" when members return to Capitol Hill in January.

"I am proud to sign a bill that I believe will give us a stronger, better America in the 21st century," Clinton said at a Rose Garden ceremony.

Clinton signed the bill in a Rose Garden ceremony Monday.

In his brief remarks, the president harkened back to his State of the Union address, saying he had asked Congress at the beginning of 1999 to take advantage of the nation's economic prosperity in a way that would "meet our generation's responsibility to the new century."

"The first budget of the 21st century was a long time in coming, but it goes a very long way toward fulfilling those historic responsibilities," Clinton said. "Though it leaves some challenges unmet, it represents real progress."

Clinton hailed provisions included in the omnibus spending bill that he supported, including funding for local and state governments to hire 100,000 new teachers to ease the classroom crunch, and 50,000 more community police officers. The president said the police officers will be "targeted to neighborhoods where the crime rates still are too high."

The spending package also includes money for the president's foreign policy goals, including paying the country's overdue membership payments to the United Nations, debt relief for poorer countries and money for the Middle East peace process.

The bill also authorizes direct food aid to rebels fighting against the Sudanese government, but the president has not made a final decision on the food aid, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said.

But Clinton did not get everything he wanted. His plan to increase cigarette taxes was rejected and Democratic proposals for tougher gun controls and stronger rights for patients in managed care programs did not see passage.

Clinton's proposals to extend the solvency of Social Security or Medicare programs or to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare also were rejected by Congress.

The president thanked the leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties for their help in reaching a budget agreement.

"We had a lot of late-night, long phone calls which led to it," he said.

When Clinton signed the bill, he was flanked by Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), and surrounded by police officers and school teachers from around the country.

Republicans claimed victory for rejecting administration plans for higher taxes on cigarettes and other items, and for leaving the Social Security surplus untouched. Nonetheless, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has disputed Republican contentions that the fiscal 2000 budget will not affect the Social Security surplus.

The GOP also forced the administration to accept a small across-the-board cut in spending, which actually limited the growth of the budget without reducing overall spending.

But Clinton reminded Republicans of his veto of their $792 billion tax cut, saying the budget "avoids risky tax cuts that would have spent hundreds of billions of dollars from the Social Security surplus and drained our ability to advance education and other important public initiatives."

Republicans say they are looking ahead to 2000.

"We'll be back next year," said Sen. Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) as he left the bill signing ceremony. "We'll have another major tax cut without touching Social Security and we'll see where we go."

Domenici dismissed Clinton's list of administration achievements. "I was wondering where he got such a long list of things that he accomplished," the senator said. "I wasn't paying attention to what he wanted to do next year."

Leahy praised Clinton, saying the budget bill is proof that "the president is a long way from being a lame-duck president. ... He still has a great deal of clout in this town."

And Clinton reminded lawmakers that work on several of his priorities remains unfinished.

"As we celebrate what we accomplished, I ask us all to be humbled and mindful of what we still have to accomplish," Clinton said.

Clinton, entering his last year in office, called for Congress to pass a patient's bill of rights, stronger gun control legislation, a raise to the national minimum wage, a federal hate crimes bill and a prescription drug benefit for inclusion in Medicare.

"In the weeks and months ahead, we can achieve these vital goals if we keep in mind that the disagreements we have are far less important than our shared values and our shared responsibility to the future," he said. "With this budget, we have helped to begin this future."

He noted that the budget agreement passed with large majorities from both parties in both the House and Senate.

But Clinton is planning to take advantage of Congress' absence with a series of recess appointments that do not have to be approved by lawmakers. They include the reappointment of Bill Lan Lee, the acting assistant attorney general for civil rights, who has faced strong GOP opposition over the issue of affirmative action.

The Associated Press contributed to this report, which was written by Douglas S. Wood.

Monday, November 29, 1999

• Bradley calls for new strategy toward Russia
• Free trade supporters dominate the presidential campaign
• VIDEO: Which presidential candidates are using the Web to their advantage?
• Clinton signs final fiscal 2000 budget bill
• Woman believed herself married to Clinton, says Tipper Gore
• Bush to propose tax cuts in speech Wednesday
• North Carolina trial could set standard for blacks getting elected
• Gore bashes Bradley, Bush on economy
• Bush gets support from majority of Senate Republicans
• Mrs. Clinton helps anti-abortion congressman raise money
• Ex-members of Congress lobby on the Internet
• President faces busy agenda this week

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