WASHINGTON, DC -- "We are pleased that President Clinton has offered a balanced budget proposal, becoming the first President to do so in over 25 years," said Congressman Collin C. Peterson (DFL-7th District), co-chair of policy for The Coalition, in response to the President's speech unveiling his plan to balance the budget. "The Coalition doesn't agree with all of the details in the President's proposal, however, we do intend to work with him in a constructive manner instead of criticizing his attempt to address the tough issues in this budget debate.
"Early on, members of The Coalition chose to play an active role in this budget debate. Our proposal, which would achieve a balanced budget in seven years, played an important role in the House budget debate and received over 100 votes on the House floor," Peterson continued. "After comparing the President's proposal to other proposals being considered in Congress, I'm convinced The Coalition's budget represents a reasonable middle ground that can be the basis for a consensus on this issue.
"We look forward to working with the President and the leaderships of both Houses to develop and pass a balanced budget. As we do so, we will continue to push for the passage of a balanced budget amendment to ensure future balanced budget proposals. We will also continue to stress the importance of locking in deficit reduction before allowing tax cuts to take effect," Peterson concluded.