Full video of the speech as published by theWhite House | |
 | |
| Date | January 23, 1996 (1996-01-23) |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:00 p.m.EST |
| Duration | 1 hour, 6 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 | 1995 State of the Union Address |
| Next | 1997 State of the Union Address |
The1996 State of the Union Address was given by the 42ndpresident of the United States,Bill Clinton, on January 23, 1996, at 9:00 p.m.EST, in the chamber of theUnited States House of Representatives to the104th United States Congress. It was Clinton's thirdState of the Union Address and hisfourth 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.
This speech occurred shortly after thefederal government shutdown of 1995 and 1996 which had resulted from disagreements on the1996 United States federal budget.
President Clinton discussed the economy and declared that "the era of big government is over," and continued, "but we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves. We must go forward as one America, one nation working together, to meet the challenges we face together. Self-reliance and teamwork are not opposing virtues -- we must have both."[1] The president discussedwelfare reform, theV-chip, education,community policing, crime, the environment, foreign relations, and the federal budget.
TheRepublican Party response was delivered bySenate Majority LeaderBob Dole ofKansas (who would go on to face Clinton in the1996 presidential election). Dole stated that "[President Clinton] is the chief obstacle to a balanced budget and the balanced budget amendment... While the President's words speak of change, his deeds are a contradiction. President Clinton claims to embrace the future while clinging to the policies of the past."[1][2]
Donna Shalala, theSecretary of Health and Human Services, served as thedesignated survivor.[3]
| Preceded by | State of the Union addresses 1996 | Succeeded by |
 | This article related to thepolitics of the United States is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
