Full video of the speech as published by theWhite House | |
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| Date | January 24, 1995 (1995-01-24) |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:00 p.m.EST |
| Duration | 1 hour, 24 minutes |
| Venue | House Chamber,United States Capitol |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°53′23″N77°00′32″W / 38.88972°N 77.00889°W /38.88972; -77.00889 |
| Type | State of the Union Address |
| Participants | |
| Previous | 1994 State of the Union Address |
| Next | 1996 State of the Union Address |
The1995 State of the Union Address was given by the 42ndpresident of the United States,Bill Clinton, on January 24, 1995, at 9:00 p.m.EST, in the chamber of theUnited States House of Representatives to the104th United States Congress. It was Clinton's secondState of the Union Address and histhird speech to ajoint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was theHouse speaker,Newt Gingrich, accompanied byAl Gore, thevice president, in his capacity as thepresident of the Senate.
It was the first address to aRepublican-controlled Congress since 1954. This was also the first time a Republican Speaker sat in the chair since 1954.
The president discussed his proposals of aNew Covenant vision for a smaller government and proposing tax reductions. The president also discussed crime, theBrady Bill and theAssault Weapons Ban, illegal immigration, and the minimum wage. Regarding foreign policy, he urged assistance inMexico's economic crisis, additional disarmament in cooperation with Russia and other international treaties, stoppingNorth Korea's nuclear weapons program, legislation to fight terrorists, and peace betweenIsrael and its neighbors. Discussion of the failed attempt tooverhaul health care was refocused on more limited efforts to protect coverage for those who have health insurance and expand coverage for children.
The speech lasted nearly 1 hour and 25 minutes[1] and consisted of 9,190 words.[2] In terms of word count it is the longest State of the Union speech in history.[2]
The president acknowledged many Americans of past and present in his speech. Among them were:
TheRepublican Party response was delivered by GovernorChristine Todd Whitman ofNew Jersey.[3] This was the first response given exclusively by a state governor and, delivered inTrenton, the first outside Washington, DC.[4][5]
ConservativeWilliam Kristol called the address the "most conservative State of the Union by a Democratic president in history."[6]
Federico Peña, theSecretary of Transportation, served as thedesignated survivor.
In his 1995 State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton said: “All Americans ... are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers.”[7]
| Preceded by | State of the Union addresses 1995 | Succeeded by |
