President Clinton defended his $16.3 billion jobs bill against critics who think it would unnecessarily increase the deficit, saying America's "jobless economic recovery" needs help.
"If we're shortsighted today, we'll be blindsided tomorrow," Clinton said in his weekly radio address Saturday.The president complained that "friends of the status quo have tried everything in recent days to show that we don't need new investment."
He urged Congress to quickly finish work on the jobs bill and broader budget legislation before its Easter recess, calling the proposals "the heart of our bold economic plan for new directions - to create jobs, to increase incomes, to bring down our terrible national debt."
Both chambers have passed versions of the budget bill and the House has approved the jobs bill, which includes $16.3 billion for summer youth jobs, unemployment insurance, highway projects, and various other civic improvements.
"Some people say these investments are unnecessary and costly," Clinton said. "Their only alternative is to do nothing and accept things just the way they are and hope that with no government action and partnership with the private sector somehow things will get better."
Clinton, speaking from the Oval Office, said his economic package was needed to create 500,000 jobs in the short term, 8 million jobs over four years and to expand what so far has been a jobless economic recovery.
"The progress we've made shows we're beating the status quo and you have given us the clout to do it," Clinton said.
In the Republican response, South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell questioned the tax increases and defense cuts in Clinton's economic package.
"Economists today are not impressed . . . with his plan," Campbell said. "A tax increase has never led to a lower deficit." He also said the defense cuts sought by Clinton could reduce military capabilities "to a dangerously low level."