 My fellow Americans, this weekend marks the beginning of spring already here at Camp David the Crocuses are pushing up out of the ground from now on the days will be longer than the nights The air will be getting warmer the grass greener and soon the countryside will be in full bloom There are all sorts of positive signs in our economy, too Job creation hasn't slowed a bit last month alone. We created 337,000 jobs Employment has reached record highs poverty is declining tax rates are falling and family income is rising Yes, indeed spring is here, but there's one abiding problem that could plunge us right back into economic winter That problem isn't in our economy I'm afraid to say that problem is in the United States Congress and it's called the budget process The budget process is indeed of sorry spectacle deadlines delayed or missed completely Huge continuing resolutions that camouflage the worst kind of special interest spending Budget process is more like a magic show its wink and blink and smoke and mirrors and pulling rabbits out of hats But almost all that ever comes up are designs to hide increases for the special interests Before I get into the need for budget reform. I want to speak to an issue that's frequently misunderstood Now we met our deadline and submitted to Congress a fiscal year 1988 budget that meets the Graham-Rudman Hollings deficit reduction goal without raising taxes It's a sound budget the result of hard work by our cabinet and agency heads and they're the people who run the programs a Priority item in this year's budget is the continuation of our battle against drug abuse We have triple spending on drug programs since 1981 Well last year we added nine hundred million dollars for the purchase of helicopters airplanes and certain facilities Now we're charged with cutting next year's budget by nine hundred million dollars Proving that we aren't sincere about our crusade against drug abuse Well, this was a one-time expenditure We don't have to repeat every year as a matter of fact We will still be spending some of that nine hundred million dollars in the coming years But it won't show in the 88 budget In other words the car is bought now all we have to do is buy the gas and change the oil The fact that the drug issue has been so misrepresented Demonstrates how politically charged the whole budget issue is and that all makes reform difficult but not impossible There's a movement of foot in Congress led by Senator Pete Domenici and other responsible legislators to introduce some badly needed order into the budget process One idea that deserves consideration is a two-year budget cycle a two-year cycle for the defense budget has been initiated And we'll be looking into the use for the total budget Another real improvement would be individual appropriations bills that Congress delivers on time Last year Congress missed all yes all its deadlines and greeted me with what they call a continuing resolution at the end of the year Now that document was over twelve hundred pages long and weighed 18 and a quarter pounds And that's what you call heavy reading it contained the appropriations for practically our entire government And I either had to veto it and close down the government or approve the whole thing pork and all The third reform would give me greater power to veto waste through so-called Enhanced rescission authority now. This is much like the line item veto Except that my recommendations for spending cuts could be overturned by a simple majority vote in either house of Congress In other words no sneak by backdoor spending If Congress wants certain spending they can have it, but they have to stand up be counted and vote for it Yet another step in the right direction is credit reform Last week we sent up to the Congress our Federal Credit Reform Act of 1987 this bill would enable the public the Congress and the administration to evaluate accurately the costs and benefits of Direct loans and loan guarantees costs that are now the subject of gas speculation and surmise We intend to work with those in Congress who are striving to put us back on the road to budget sanity and just as we've done with credit Reform the administration will propose additional elements in what will be a comprehensive budget process reform package These reforms are important to you Because they're a key to continued economic growth and job creation It's time to put politics aside and do what the Congress knows has to be done sooner or later anyway Give the American people a budget process that controls spending a budget process. We can be proud of Until next week. Thanks for listening and God bless you