President Clinton vetoed Congress' budget reconciliation bill, which
balanced the budget over the next seven years. He promised to veto
any other proposals that underfund programs such as Medicare and
education. He used the pen that President Johnson used to sign the
legislation that created Medicare in 1965. After the veto, he
criticized various aspects of the proposal, including its education,
environment and welfare provisions. The president also emphasized
his commitment to balance the budget in seven years and announced
that he would present a plan to Congress which would also balance the
budget in seven years.

The president sat at his desk in the Oval Office and was surrounded
by a group of invited citizens.