Looking Back at Clinton's $2 Trillion Tax-and-Spend Shopping
Spree
CLINTON'S $ 2 TRILLION TAB -- A Record Only a Liberal Could Love
From FY 1993 to FY 1996, Bill Clinton proposed 484 new federal spending initiatives. The total price tag for Clinton's liberal spending and pork-barrel projects) whopping $ 2.016 trillion. Those programs would have cost every American family over $ 4,077 a year a total of $ 20,394 per family over five years. (Congressional Budget Office figures based on Clinton budget submissions)
CLINTONCARE --
Take 50 New Bureaucracies and Call Me in the Morning
Bill Clinton's attempt to nationalize the U.S. health care system -- 1/7th of the U.S. economy -- alone would have imposed 17 new taxes, created 50 new government bureaucracies, and added more than $ 1.5 trillion in new federal spending -- and an equivalent amount in new federal taxes. By its second year, the Clintons' socialized medicine scheme would have been larger than any other government program except Social Security and Medicare. (Senate Republican Policy Committee, 9/1 5/94)
THE CLINTON STIMULUS PACKAGE --
Enough Pork to Give You Trichinosis
In one of his first acts as President, Clinton proposed a $ 159 billion spending package to "stimulate" the economy. Among the pork- barrel projects in the Clinton plan were: a casino in Connecticut, an "Art Ark" in San Francisco, a bike path in Oregon, carousel renovations in Rhode Island, a shopping center in Indiana, an alpine slide in Puerto Rico, and an indoor baseball field in Alabama. (Reuters Business Report, 4/22/93; U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee, 3/25/93; Time Magazine, 4/26/93; San Diego Union-Tribune, 4/11/93)
THE BABBITT RECREATION TAX --
Bikes, Hoots, and Birdseed Present a Tempting Target
Just a week ago, Clinton Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt endorsed a new "sales tax" on almost every piece of equipment used by campers, hikers, sportsmen, and outdoorsmen. Among the many targets of Babbitt's "recreation tax" were backpacks, cameras, motor-homes, canteens, film, mountain bikes, hiking boots, skis, scuba gear, binoculars, and birdseed. (Rocky Mountain New, 9/17/96; Associated Press, 9/17/96)
FUTURE CLINTON TAX INCREASES --
More, Larger, Broader, Higher Taxes
Despite his promises of "targeted" tax cuts, the Clinton plan for a second term includes another massive tax increase. The bipartisan Joint Committee on Taxation projects that Clinton's tax proposals for a second term work out to a net new tax increase of $ 64 billion. The reason for the increase is that most of Clinton's tax cuts are temporary, while his tax increases are permanent. (Joint Committee on Taxation)
FUTURE CLINTON SPENDING PROPOSALS --
Building a Bigger Bureaucracy
Bill Clinton's FY 1997 budget and campaign promises include $ 379 billion in spending beyond that in the Dole-Kemp economic plan. For next year alone, Clinton has proposed almost 200 additional new spending initiatives. (Based on CBO estimates for Clinton budget with trigger and CBO estimates for Republican budget with adjustments to reflect details of Dole-Kemp economic plan.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: NELSON WARFIELD
SEPTEMBER 26, 1996 202/414-8050
NEW DOLE/KEMP AD TELLS THE TRUTH ABOUT CLINTON'S LIBERAL RECORD
The Dole/Kemp '96 campaign today released "Truth on Spending." The
text of the ad follows:
"Truth on Spending"
:30 Seconds
Producer: Greg Stevens
VIDEO AUDIO
Announcer: The Truth
Source: President's Budget Submission 484 new spending programs
FY 93-96
Source: Congressional Budget Office Costing us 432 billion
in bigger government
Source: President's Healthcare Proposal A massive health-care
9/22/93 bureaucracy
Source: Wall Street Journal, 4/5/93 Thousands of wasteful
projects like
$ 2.5 million for alpine
slides in Puerto Rico
Source: HR3355 $ 76 million for programs
like midnight basketball
Source: CNN Moneyweek, 8/7/93 The largest tax increase
in history
September 23, 1996 Clinton: "But I don't
think that qualified me
as a closet liberal."
Announcer: That's not
what the facts say,
Mr. Clinton.
The real Bill Clinton?
A real spend-and-tax
liberal
BILL CLINTON: TAX AND SPEND LIBERAL
New Spending Promised by Clinton, 1993-96 BA in billions
FY 1993 stimulus plan $ 15.9
63 proposals (CBO re-estimate)
FY 1994 budget: President's initiatives 178.7
135 proposals
(costs over CBO inflation adjusted baseline)
FY 1995 budget: President's initiatives 151.9
143 proposals
(Costs over CEO inflation adjusted baseline)
FY 1996 budget 85.6
143 proposals
(Based on items in President's budget, estimated
by CBO to be increases over the CBO inflation
adjusted baseline)
TOTAL INITIATIVES: PRESIDENT'S
FY 93-96 BUDGET SUBMISSIONS 432.1
484 proposals
President's Health Reform Proposal
new spending less offsets 200.0
(CBO Analysis, February 1994)
President's Health Reform Proposal -
mandatory Health Alliance costs 1,394.0
(CBO Analysis, February 1994)
TOTAL SPENDING FOR PRESIDENT'S
HEALTH REFORM PROPOSAL 1,584.0
TOTAL COST: CLINTON NEW SPENDING
INITIATIVES & HEALTH REFORM
PROPOSAL, FY 1993-96 2,016.1
Robert Dole, Dole Campaign Press Release - Bill Clinton's Liberal Legacy Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/316495