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From Mail-Server@lex-luthor.ai.mit.edu Wed Sep 8 14:55:42 1993
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Date: Wed, 8 Sep 1993 13:17-0400
From: The White House <75300.3115@compuserve.com>
Reply-To: Clinton-Info@campaign92.org
Subject: Photo Op w/ Bi-partisan Leadership 9/8/93
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Status: OR
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release September 8, 1993
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AND THE VICE PRESIDENT
IN PHOTO OPPORTUNITY WITH BIPARTISAN LEADERSHIP
The Cabinet Room
11:16 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Let me say, first of all, I'm delighted
to have the congressional leadership here today. And we're going to
begin our conversations by talking about the reinventing government
initiative. The Vice President's going to give the leadership a
briefing. And I'm very much looking forward to this phase new phase
of the congressional session and to -- of a bipartisan effort on a
lot of issues. And I hope we will center it on this, because I think
this effort can do as much as anything else to build the trust of the
American people and what we're doing on a whole range of other
issues.
Q Mr. President, on health care, some of the people
who have briefed, Democrats and Republicans, believe that the
Medicaid and Medicare cuts are too large, too politically difficult
and too nonspecific. Can you reassure them?
THE PRESIDENT: At the appropriate time.
Q There is some concern, sir --
Q What about the chance that the health care, though
-- do you think that you can handle all of these things -- reinvent
government, trade?
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. I don't think we have an
option because I think the country can't walk away from this problem.
But I think we should begin with this because this is something that
will unify Americans and will unify the Congress and will prove that
we can spend the money we have in appropriate ways and stop wasting
so much of it.
Q What will be the chances of bipartisanship on some
of these issues, like health care?
THE PRESIDENT: Good.
Q Why so, given the experience you had in the first
part of this administration?
THE PRESIDENT: These are different issues with
different constituencies and a different -- and they can be presented
in a different way. I think the chances are really good.
Q Have you changed your way of working with Congress?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Could I have a brief word, Mr.
President? I'd like to say in the presence of the bipartisan
leadership that the response from Republicans as well as Democrats to
the National Performance Review has been extremely positive. And we
very much look forward to a bipartisan effort to make the changes
that are included in this report.
Q Can you tell us something about these products you
have here, just so we can explain --
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We talked about it a little bit
this morning. These are just examples of one -- yesterday we
released the overall report. Today we focused in on the number one
-- the first target, which is procurement reform. And these are all
examples of it.
This is a designer bug spray that is bought by the
federal government according to detailed specifications that are
prepared at taxpayer expense. Then we pay people to go in and
inspect the plant, to test the product. They don't test it to see if
it repels bugs, but they do test it to see if it complies with the
regulation. (Laughter.) When, in fact, federal employees ought to
be able to go out and buy a can of bug spray like they can get in the
store and not waste all the money with the rest of this stuff.
These are small-order procurement forms. Federal
employees filled out 11 million of these forms last year -- 11
million. Each of them cost $50 each to process. Virtually all of
them are totally unnecessary and will be eliminated in the
recommendations included in the report.
This is an illustration of how the federal government
buys aspirin. The order for the aspirin went out, and the low bidder
is a reputable company, knows what it's doing, had the low bid, and
complied with all the requirements, but because it was low bidder,
could not afford to fill out all of the paperwork certifying to the
bureaucracy that it had complied with all of the little details and
the 900 separate laws that govern procurement and so they were
disqualified. The next low bidder got it, and the taxpayers ended up
paying an extra $107,000 for aspirin.
This is just a -- well, this example is -- these are
computer discs. And a federal employee on his own initiative went
out and bought these at a discount store. He bought a packet of 10
for $10.99 and got a coupon giving a $2 discount for the next order
of 10. In the centralized procurement system, the same exact package
costs $11.37 without the coupon.
And then the final example is file folders. These cost
at a regular retail outlet $3.89 for a package. In the procurement
system they cost $6.43, the exact same folders.
Now, the point is -- and I'll close and finish with this
-- we spend $200 billion per year on goods and services, and we have
4,500 pages of regulations that cause the extra expense that the
taxpayers pay in this system, compared to what we could get if
federal employees were allowed to use their common sense and
management had the flexibility.
Q Mr. President, do you think you can talk George
Mitchell into a liquor tax?
SENATOR FORD: Not today. (Laughter.)
Q Do you think you're going to have your own party's
support on NAFTA, or are you going to have to rely totally on
Republicans?
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END11:15 A.M. EDT