The Presidency of Bill Clinton

US History Standard:

SSUSH25 The student will describe changes in national politics since 1968..

e. Explain the relationship between Congress and President Bill Clinton; include the North American Free Trade Agreement and his impeachment and acquittal.

Election of 1992 By 1992’s election, President George

H.W. Bush’s approval rating had

dropped to 40% (down from its peak

of 89% during the Persian Gulf War) He could not seem to convince the

public that he had a clear strategy

for ending the recession and

creating jobs • Arkansas governor and Democratic candidate Bill Clinton campaigned on the notion

that he could lead the nation out of the recession • Texas billionaire Ross Perot also ran for president as a third part candidate – he

targeted the nation’s soaring deficit as the number one problem • On Election Day, Bill Clinton won even though he won only 43% of the vote - Bush

won 38% and Perot won 19% • Clinton became the first member of the baby-boom generation to become president

Clinton’s Priorities in OfficeClinton took office with an

ambitious slate of programs he hoped to put in place – these programs included health care reform, welfare reform, balancing the budget, and ending the recession

Despite the efforts of the President and the First Lady, Hillary Clinton, health care reform would never be passed by Congress

Clinton’s Priorities in Office Clinton’s administration was more successful in working with the

Republican Congress for welfare reform The bill places term limits on how long people could receive welfare

benefits – over the next few years, states moved people from welfare to jobs

Clinton was also successful in his efforts to decrease the federal budget deficit

In 1998, the federal budget had a surplus for the first time in nearly 30 years – this means that the amount of money the government made through taxes was more than its expenses so there was extra money

This surplus allowed the nation’s debt to be paid down The recession ended during Clinton’s time in office and the

economy was booming

NAFTA Clinton saw trade as

essential to US prosperity

and to world economic

and political stability To strengthen trade,

Clinton backed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) The purpose of this legislation was to bring Mexico into the free-trade zone

with the US and Canada – NAFTA would strengthen all three economies and create more American jobs

Opponents insisted that NAFTA would transfer American jobs to Mexico where wages were lower and harm the environment because of Mexico’s weak antipollution laws

The treaty was ratified by all three governments in 1993

Republican Control of Congress In mid-1994, voters began to question Clinton’s

leadership Republican Newt Gingrich began to turn voters’

dissatisfaction with Clinton into support for the

Republicans He introduced the Contract with America, ten

items Republicans promised to enact if they won

control of Congress These measures included congressional term limits, a balanced-budget

amendment, tax cuts, tougher crime laws, and welfare reform

Newt Gingrich

Republican Control of Congress In the November 1994 election, Republicans won control of both houses of

Congress for the first time since 1954 Gingrich was chosen as Speaker of the House Pres. Clinton and the Republican Congress began to clash almost

immediately – they couldn’t agree on budgets or funding for federal programs – this will lead to the federal government being shut down two separate times in 1995 and 1996

The budget standoff, the strong

economy, and the passage of the

welfare reform law will help

Clinton be reelected in 1996

Clinton’s Impeachment Clinton had much legal trouble during his

PresidencyFirst, he was accused of improperly using

money from a land deal with the Whitewater Development Company to fund his 1984 gubernatorial reelection campaign

During his presidency, Clinton allegedly lied under oath about having an improper relationship with a White House intern

In 1998, Clinton admitted to the relationship but denied lying about the incident

Clinton’s Impeachment In December 1998, the House of

Representatives approved two articles of impeachment, charging the president with perjury and obstruction of justice

With that vote, Clinton became only the second president to face a trial in the Senate

At the trial two months later, the Senate fell short of the 67 votes, a two-thirds majority, required to convict him

Clinton remained in office and apologized for his actions