August 6, 1993: The Clinton Budget Passes

August 6, 1993: After passing the House of Representatives the night before, President Bill Clinton’s Fiscal Year 1994 Federal Budget passes in the Senate. In each house, it passed by exactly 1 vote, with a few Democrats deserting, and not 1 Republican in either house voting for it: 218 to 217 in the House, and a 50-50 tie in the Senate, with Vice President Al Gore breaking the tie to pass it.

At the time, conservatives were saying that the tax increase would plunge the nation into a recession -- which it was already in. As usual, they were wrong: The greatest economic boom in the nation's history occurred from 1993 to 2000.

One thing that both sides got right, though, was the line, delivered by Representative Bill Richardson of New Mexico: "This is the Clinton Presidency." It all depended on this: Had the budget failed, the boom might not have happened, and Clinton would have lost in 1996. Instead, he was re-elected in a landslide.

Among the bill's floor leaders in the House were Richardson, who would later serve as Clinton's Secretary of Energy and the Governor of his State; Chuck Schumer of New York, who was elected to the Senate in 1998, and became Senate Democratic Leader; and Richard Durbin of Illinois, who was elected to the Senate in 1996, and became Senate Democratic Whip.

The Republicans rode opposition to Clinton's tax increase and big spending, and to his failed health care initiative, to win the 1994 Congressional elections. When Clinton was re-elected in 1996, it was a "personal landslide": He failed to bring either house of Congress back with him. And that would turn out to be a problem later on.

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August 6, 1993 was a Friday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins, 4-3 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Kevin Tapani outpitched Bob Wickman. Kirby Puckett went 3-for-3. Dion James and Paul O'Neill hit home runs for the Yankees, but Don Mattingly went 0-for-4.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cal Ripken went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-2 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Kirk Rueter outpitched John Smoltz.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 11-10 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. The Brewers scored 2 runs in the top of the 11th inning, but the Jays scored 3 in the bottom half, the winning run coming on a single by John Olerud that scored Devon White. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Paul Molitor went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs against his former team. Robin Yount, in his last season, went 3-for-5 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The California Angels beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-3 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-2 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. George Brett, in his last season, went 2-for-4.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-3 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-4.

* The San Diego Padres swept a doubleheader from the Colorado Rockies, 6-3 and 6-2 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Over the 2 games, Tony Gwynn went 5-for-8 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros, 4-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* And the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates were rained out at Shea Stadium. The game was made up the next day as part of a doubleheader. The Pirates won the opener, 2-1. The Mets won the nightcap, 10-8.