Get PolitiFact in your inbox.

By Bill Wichert June 8, 2012

Bill Clinton touts fiscal record as president during campaign stop in New Jersey

Speaking at a campaign event in New Jersey last week for U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, former President Bill Clinton offered his own "fact check" on deficits and the national debt.

Democrats Menendez and President Barack Obama have been criticized for those issues, Clinton said, but Republican administrations over the last 30 years have increased the debt. On his watch, the former Democratic president said he delivered four consecutive surplus budgets and reduced the debt by $600 billion.

"It took us four years to balance the budget," Clinton told the crowd at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford. "Then I gave you four surplus budgets for the first time in more than 70 years, paid $600 billion down on the national debt."

A video of the June 1 event was posted the following day on YouTube. (In a separate video, Clinton weighs in on whether the horse "I’ll Have Another" could become a Triple Crown winner Saturday at the Belmont Stakes.)

PolitiFact New Jersey found that Clinton’s history lesson needs a fact-check of its own.

It’s accurate that Clinton delivered the first four consecutive surplus budgets in more than 70 years, but his claim about reducing the national debt is off. One form of debt dropped by nearly $453 billion over those four fiscal years, but the total debt increased by roughly $400 billion.

First, let’s talk about those surplus budgets.

In each of Clinton’s first four complete fiscal years -- fiscal years 1994 to 1997 -- the nation incurred a deficit, meaning federal spending surpassed revenues. The deficits declined every year, from about $203 billion to nearly $22 billion.

But in fiscal year 1998, the country reached a balanced budget for the first time since fiscal year 1969.

From fiscal years 1998 to 2001, the nation achieved a surplus each time for a combined total of about $559 billion. The last surplus budget year ended under President George W. Bush, but it began while Clinton was still in office.

The last time there were at least four consecutive surplus budgets was the period between fiscal years 1927 and 1930.

Now, we’ll discuss debt reduction in the latter half of the Clinton presidency.

Since Clinton just referred to the "national debt," we’ll look at both of the commonly cited measures: debt held by the public and total debt.

The debt held by the public refers to money borrowed from investors outside of the federal government. The total debt represents debt held by the public and money the federal government owes itself, including for programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Clinton is somewhat accurate in terms of the debt held by the public, but he’s wrong as far as the total debt.

As we said earlier, the combined surpluses over those four fiscal years totaled about $559 billion. But due to various types of factors -- commonly known as "other means of financing" -- the debt held by the public was only reduced by nearly $453 billion.

Also, with an increase in the money the government owes itself, the total debt grew by about $400 billion in the same time period.

It’s worth noting that Clinton had to work with a Republican-controlled Congress during the fiscal years when there were surplus budgets and the debt held by the public was reduced.

Our ruling

At a June 1 campaign event, Clinton touted his fiscal record in the final years of his presidency. "Then I gave you four surplus budgets for the first time in more than 70 years, paid $600 billion down on the national debt," Clinton told the crowd.

Clinton delivered four consecutive surplus budgets for the first time in more than seven decades, but the former president misstated the level of debt reduction. During those four fiscal years, the debt held by the public dropped by nearly $453 billion, but total debt jumped by about $400 billion.

We rate the statement Mostly True.

Featured Fact-check

To comment on this ruling, go to NJ.com.

Our Sources

President Bill Clinton supports Bob Menendez, a video posted on YouTube on June 2, 2012

Robert Menendez’s campaign, The President joins U.S. Senator Bob Menendez to support his re-election campaign, June 1, 2012

PolitiFact, Bill Clinton says his administration paid down the debt, Sept. 23, 2010

Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 to 2022, January 2012

White House Office of Management and Budget, Historical Tables, accessed June 4, 2012

William J. Clinton Presidential Center, A Record in Brief: The Strongest Economy in a Generation, accessed June 4, 2012

Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2003-2012, January 2002

PolitiFact, Newt Gingrich repeats claim that he balanced the federal budget four times as speaker, Jan. 23, 2012

Congressional Research Service, The Economics of the Federal Budget Deficit, Jan. 28, 2005

FactCheck.org, The Budget and Deficit Under Clinton, Feb. 3, 2008

Economic Report of the President, February 1999

The American Presidency Project, William J. Clinton: Remarks on Achieving a Budget Surplus, Sept. 30, 1998

Congressional Research Service, The Federal Debt: An Analysis of Movements
from World War II to the Present, Sept. 17, 2010

U.S. General Accounting Office, Federal Debt: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, an Update, August 2004

William J. Clinton Presidential Center, Record of Accomplishment, accessed June 7, 2012

Tax Policy Center, Budget process, federal, accessed June 7, 2012

White House, President Clinton: The United States on Track to Pay Off the Debt by End of the Decade, Dec. 28, 2000

Congressional Research Service, How Budget Surpluses Change Federal Debt, Jan. 4, 2001

Congressional Budget Office, Federal Debt and Interest Costs, December 2010

Congressional Budget Office, Glossary, updated January 2012

Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2000-2009, January 1999

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Bill Wichert

Bill Clinton touts fiscal record as president during campaign stop in New Jersey

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up