From what I saw, you ar ecorrect.
There is a .gov website that shows the debt and annual deficit every year since like 1950...and if you look at the Clinto years....each year we still were running a deficit and adding to the debt. It got close to balanced...but not quite.
But...on the flip side, in was actually Gringrich’s budget..that I believe Clinton vetod a couple times before he signed it...that got the budget that close to balanced.
You are correct.