State Of The Union Speech Scheduled

Two weeks after his inauguration for a second term, President Clinton will deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress at 6 p.m. PDT on Feb. 4.

He will send his 1998 budget to Congress two days later.

The date of the address was settled Wednesday when Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., formally extended an invitation to Clinton to speak.

By law, the president must submit his proposed budget by the first Monday in February, which this year is Feb. 3. However, the White House asked congressional leaders for a delay so that Clinton could use his State of the Union address to lay out the broad themes for the policies he wants to pursue in a second term before providing details in the budget.

Administration officials said the delay in the budget does not reflect any difficulties in putting together a proposal. Clinton has called achieving a balanced budget by 2002.