--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I left Washington, we actually had a…" description: "\"When I left Washington, we actually had a balanced budget and we paid down the most amount of the national debt in modern history and cut taxes and cre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/john-kasich-1650_actually_when-i-left-washington-we-actually-had-a_3010984.png" --- # When I left Washington, we actually had a balanced budget… ![“When I left Washington, we actually had a balanced budget and we paid down the most amount of the national debt in modern history and cut taxes and created jobs. And I was the chief architect of that plan in '97.” quote by John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/john-kasich-1650_actually_when-i-left-washington-we-actually-had-a_3010984.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/john-kasich-1650_actually_when-i-left-washington-we-actually-had-a_3010984.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/john-kasich-1650_actually_when-i-left-washington-we-actually-had-a_3010984.png) > “When I left Washington, we actually had a balanced budget and we paid down the most amount of the national debt in modern history and cut taxes and created jobs. And I was the chief architect of that plan in '97.” [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Claims a balanced budget, debt reduction, tax cuts, and job creation during his tenure, positioning himself as the chief architect of the plan. **In simple terms:** Achieved fiscal balance and growth through policy. Key Takeaway Effective fiscal management can boost the economy. Themes economics leadership policy Mood confident pragmatic Type political economic When to use this quote - government fiscal policy - economic planning - political campaigns Key Concepts budget balance tax cuts job creation Questions to Reflect On - What policies most contributed to debt reduction? - How sustainable were the tax cuts? A Different Perspective Results may be contested by opponents. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) [Amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) [Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Balanced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balanced/) [Balanced budget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balanced-budget/) [Budget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/budget/) [Budget Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/budget-paid-4827669/) [Chief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chief/) [Created](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/created/) [Cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cut/) [Cut Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cut-taxes/) [Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt/) [Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-washington-665515/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-history/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [National](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national/) [National debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-debt/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Plan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plan/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) ## Related quotes > [No one in the modern history of this country, no president, has done more to move toward a balanced budget than has President Bill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/no-one-in-the-modern-history-of-this-country-no-president-has-done/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [Consider in Washington, around the country today we are talking about balanced budgets, paying down our national debt, getting the economy going, defending ourselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/consider-in-washington-around-the-country-today-we-are-talking-about/) [J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/) > [People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/people-must-again-learn-to-work-instead-of-living-on-public-assistance/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [Economist Frederick Thayer has studied the history of our balanced-budget crusades and has come up with some depressing statistics. We have had six major…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/economist-frederick-thayer-has-studied-the-history-of-our-balanced/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [In July of 1983, I left Washington, DC area and have had minimal contact with Judge Clarence Thomas since](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-hill/in-july-of-1983-i-left-washington-dc-area-and-have-had-minimal/) [Anita Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-hill/) > [The New Dealers have all left Washington to make way for the car dealers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-new-dealers-have-all-left-washington-to-make-way-for-the-car/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Watergate left Washington a city ravaged by honesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/watergate-left-washington-a-city-ravaged-by-honesty/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [I worked for the Office of Management and Budget in the White House, on nuclear energy policy. But I decided it would be much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-garten/i-worked-for-the-office-of-management-and-budget-in-the-white-house/) [Ina Garten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-garten/) > [I mean, the fact of the matter is, Ohio 's coming back because we set a clear path, we cut taxes, we balanced our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-mean-the-fact-of-the-matter-is-ohio-s-coming-back-because-we-set-a/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I was the chairman of the Budget Committee and the lead architect the last time it happened in Washington, and when we did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-budget-committee-and-the-lead-architect-the/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I spent ten years in the private sector, actually learning how business works. I'm the governor of Ohio, and I inherited a state that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-spent-ten-years-in-the-private-sector-actually-learning-how/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we balanced a budget, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-house-budget-committee-and-one-of-the-chief/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I am going to cut taxes massively. I am going to cut business taxes massively. They're going to start hiring people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-am-going-to-cut-taxes-massively-i-am-going-to-cut-business-taxes/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Governing isn't as easy as you think. Many of you have taken pledges that are contradictory - to balance the budget and cut taxes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-baird/governing-isn-t-as-easy-as-you-think-many-of-you-have-taken-pledges/) [Brian Baird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-baird/) > [We knew we had to act for the middle class. We immediately went out and rescued General Motors. We went ahead and made sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/we-knew-we-had-to-act-for-the-middle-class-we-immediately-went-out/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) ## More by John Kasich > [I was the chairman of the Budget Committee and the lead architect the last time it happened in Washington, and when we did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-budget-committee-and-the-lead-architect-the/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I think we can have some tax reform, but that doesn't mean tax increases. We ought to make the, the rates flatter. We ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-think-we-can-have-some-tax-reform-but-that-doesn-t-mean-tax/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I was not in favor of U.S. troops in Lebanon. And I voted against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-not-in-favor-of-u-s-troops-in-lebanon-and-i-voted-against-it/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [When I listen to candidates spend all their time attacking Barack Obama, I'm glad they're not driving this bus because they'd be looking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/when-i-listen-to-candidates-spend-all-their-time-attacking-barack/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [You want your children to be safe. You want your families to be safe. We know that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/you-want-your-children-to-be-safe-you-want-your-families-to-be-safe/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we balanced a budget, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-house-budget-committee-and-one-of-the-chief/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [We have to go massively, like we did in the first Gulf War where we destroyed Saddam's ability to take Kuwait. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/we-have-to-go-massively-like-we-did-in-the-first-gulf-war-where-we/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I mean, the fact of the matter is, Ohio 's coming back because we set a clear path, we cut taxes, we balanced our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-mean-the-fact-of-the-matter-is-ohio-s-coming-back-because-we-set-a/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [When we give a subsidy, the benefits to the public ought to exceed the benefits to the company. When it doesn't, that's our definition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/when-we-give-a-subsidy-the-benefits-to-the-public-ought-to-exceed-the/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [People have now been absorbing only that they agree with. You know, part of it is if you're liberal, you consume liberal information. 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And I - I'm not deviated from this position at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-try-to-keep-what-i-say-and-i-i-m-not-deviated-from-this-position-at/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) [Explore all 219 John Kasich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) ## More Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. 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I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) [Browse all 4,248 Actually quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I left Washington, we actually had a balanced budget and we paid down the most amount of the national debt in modern history and cut taxes and created jobs. 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