The Weekly: Political Parties Like It's Fiscal Year 1999

We hear all the time from politicians talking about how to reduce the deficit and the debt.

But have you ever heard a politician talk about how to spend a surplus.

Believe it or not, that did happen.

It is now official and I'm proud to announce that we posted a budget surplus of $123 billion -- the largest surplus in American history. And in the last two years alone, we have paid down our nation's debt by $140 billion -- the largest debt reduction in our nation's history. We have closed the book on deficits and open the door on a new era of economic opportunity.

That was President Bill Clinton ... October 27th, 1999

Ever wonder what it sounds like when the government has more money than it spends?

And then - politicians come up with ideas for how to spend that extra money?

And then - those ideas lead to angry arguments about how to spend that money -- arguments that kind of sound like what we hear now, but in reverse?

Then this week's episode of C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly" is just the thing for you.

Because that's exactly what you'll hear.

No, these aren't fake AI-generated hallucinations. Yes, it really did happen — actual real politicians saying real things about a real budget surplus... The year was 1999 ... a year politicians fought over not how to cut the deficit and debt — but how to spend the surplus.

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