Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi

Highlights From President Clinton's 1998 State of the Union Address

January 28, 1998

Under President Clinton's leadership, America has achieved an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity:

• the strongest economy in a generation;
• the first balanced budget in a generation;
• violent crime down five years straight;
• welfare rolls down by 4.3 million people;
• unemployment at its lowest in more than 2 decades;
• deficit cut by more than 90 percent;
• unrivaled world leadership.

An Opportunity For Action. The President challenges us to use this unique moment in time as an opportunity to prepare for the next century. At the center of his vision for a stronger America are three goals:

• an economy that honors opportunity;
• a society rooted in responsibility;
• a nation that lives as a community.

Opportunity: A New Economy Full Of Potential. The President's plan for building a more prosperous America consists of three central strategies:

Fiscal discipline to cut interest rates and spur growth. President Clinton is submitting the first balanced budget in thirty years. It includes new, fiscally responsible tax cuts targeted at working families for education, child care and the environment. The President is reserving any budget surplus until Social Security is reformed.

Investing in our people to prepare them for the new economy. The President's is calling for the tools and opportunities Americans need to make the most of their lives -- from a higher minimum wage to better, more accessible education.

Sharing in the prosperity of the global marketplace. The President's plan helps all Americans share in the prosperity of the global marketplace -- training workers for the future, opening more foreign markets to American goods and services, and working to ensure economic stability.

A Society That Acts Responsibly. The President's plan helps create a society that acts responsibly by:

Calling for action to promote the value of work, not welfare. From increasing child support collections to helping families move closer to available jobs to creating more welfare-to-work partnerships, the President's plan helps America's working families help themselves.

Calling for action to help working families deal with the challenges of the next generation. By giving American families tools such as safe, affordable child care and improved access to quality health care, the President's plan helps American families meet their most important responsibilities, at home and at work.

Fighting juvenile crime and drugs. With murder, robbery, assault and burglary down across the nation, the President is focusing on juvenile crime -- providing more resources to crack down on gangs and guns, and stronger efforts to protect children from the scourge of drugs.

Ensuring our commitment to world leadership. The President's plan keeps America strong, by maintaining our role as the world's indispensable nation -- building an undivided, peaceful Europe; forging an Asian Pacific community; remaining a force for peace and freedom; moving strongly against new security threats; and maintaining the resources to meet these challenges.

Strengthening Our Communities. The President's plan strengthens America's communities by:

Investing in our cities, giving them tools and opportunities they need to continue an urban renaissance -- bringing private enterprise into the inner city, through empowerment zones, community development banks, more loans from commercial banks, and tax incentives to develop affordable, low-income housing.

Protecting the environment, ensuring a cleaner, healthier planet for our children. Through tax cuts and research and development in emerging technologies, the President's plan finds a way to grow the economy and clean the environment at the same time.

Building a stronger One America for the 21st Century, creating a more just and fair society that underscores our shared strengths, instead of focusing on our differences. President Clinton is committed to building on the strong start of his Initiative on Race, emphasizing that our national diversity is our greatest strength.

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