> I HAVE EXCERPTED THE HEALTH-REFORM PORTIONS OF THIS RELEASE. > > THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _____________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release August 25, 1994 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT The Rose Garden 5:36 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. [COMMENTS ABOUT PRO- CEDURAL VOTE ON THE CRIME BILL OMITTED.] [...] Q Mr. President, is health care dead this year? THE PRESIDENT: I wouldn't say that, no. I don't think you can say that because -- and I don't think the recess will kill it. Was that what you were going to --. And the reason I say that is because, like most of you, I have watched with great interest what has happened and what has not happened in the Senate and the House. I told you all when we started this issue a long time ago, now over a year ago, that it was a very complicated issue, that it's no accident that presidents of both parties for 60 years have tried to find a way to solve the health care crisis and have never been able to do it, particularly in the face of intense, organized and expensive efforts to stop it. But I think the less I say the better right now, as long as Senator Mitchell and Senator Chafee and Senator Breaux and others are doing their best to continue this dialogue. I spoke to another Democratic senator today who said that she felt there was -- there's still a good chance that a bill could come out that people would want to vote for and think was the right thing to do. So I think we just have to let this thing develop a little bit and see what happens in these dialogues. And again, I think the less I say about it, the better. Thank you very much. [...] END 5:41 P.M. EDT