> > 1. THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN EXCERPTED TO PROVIDE ONLY THE HEALTH REFORM > RELATED SECTIONS. > > 2. *DO NOT* WRITE REPLIES TO LIST.HEALTHPLAN ITEMS; THEY WILL GO TO A > "MAILBOX" THAT IS NOT READ BY ANYONE. WRITE TO sfreedkin@igc.apc.org > USING THE APPROPRIATE SUBJECT LINE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE LIST OF > SUBJECT LINES YOU CAN GET INSTRUCTIONS BY SENDING A MESSAGE WITH THE > SUBJECT: SEND WELCOME LTR LIST.HEALTHPLAN. > THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _____________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release August 22, 1994 PRESS BRIEFING BY DEE DEE MYERS The Briefing Room 1:56 P.M. EDT [...] Q What about the notion that the Senate should drop health care and go on vacation right after it passes or takes action on the crime bill -- would the White House support that? MS. MYERS: Well, Senator Mitchell said he plans to keep the Senate in to keep them working on health care. Obviously, they're taking a break from health care this week to pursue crime. And I think the President's view is he'd like them to keep working. This is not the time to turn back. He'd like to see them keep working, but we'll see how things go this week. Q Do you view taking a break as turning back? Q ... Republican senators? Q Yesterday Senator Moynihan said that he doesn't think anyone could realistically expect a health care bill until maybe October. Does the President have any thoughts about that? MS. MYERS: I think that's something that the Senate will have to work out through the legislative process. I believe Senator Mitchell is meeting with Senator Chafee today; work is ongoing on the health bill. The President feels strongly that they should continue to press forward on this. Senator Mitchell has said that they will. And I think we'll just have to wait and see what kind of progress is made over the course of the next week or so. Q You said the President wants to go forward, this is not the time to turn back. Do you view a recess as a setback to the process, as a turnback, a problem? MS. MYERS: No. At some point, the Senate is going to recess -- the House has already gone home -- at least pending the CBO's finishing of work on the Gephardt bill. I think that even Senator Moynihan, who, as you pointed out, said that they thinks they should recess before finishing health care, has said he expects that they can finish a health care bill this year. So I would defer to the Senate leadership on the issue of timing and what's possible, but certainly Senator Mitchell, Senator Moynihan and others believe that it's possible through a number of different timing scenarios to get a bill done this year, and the President is hopeful that that will happen. Q If it's not going to hurt you why is the President urging them to stay in? MS. MYERS: I think the President thinks that we've made historic progress through the legislative process this year, that there's good work being done -- it continued to be done last week. It's difficult. Nonetheless, he thinks that they should keep pressing forward as long as it's productive. [...] MS. MYERS: The President has said that he will stay in Washington as long as the House and Senate are in session working on crime and health care and making progress. The House is gone. If the Senate were to adjourn, I think the President would leave within a day or two; I think as quickly as he technically could. Q You mean if the Senate adjourns? Q But you don't think -- but you said before the President doesn't think it's a good idea for the Senate to drop health care and go on vacation. MS. MYERS: He'd like them to continue working as long as it's productive. He still believes that they can get a health care bill this year. Members of the Senate continue to believe that. I think we'll have to see how things progress. Q He wants the health care bill more than he wants the vacation. MS. MYERS: Absolutely. He wants both, ideally. Q False alternative. Bogus choice. (Laughter.) [..] THE PRESS: Thank you. END 2:30 P.M. EDT