[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[February 22, 2001]
[Pages 114-122]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference
February 22, 2001
The President. Good afternoon. It's been about a month now since
I've taken office, and I thought it appropriate to come by and have a
press conference. Before I do so, though, I'd like to make a few
comments.
One of my missions has been to change the tone here in the Nation's
Capital to encourage civil discourse. I think we're making pretty good
progress. I want to thank the Democrats and the Republicans who have
been coming up to the White House to hear me make my case. I appreciate
their responsiveness. I just hope they vote for my agenda that I'll be
submitting next week in a budget address to the Congress.
I have a reasonable and balanced budget. It meets growing needs with
a responsible rate of increase in spending. It funds priorities. And my
administration has no higher priority than education.
Yesterday I announced that the Department of Education will receive
the largest percentage increase of any department in the Federal
Government, a little more than an 11 percent increase. But with new
money will come high expectations. We
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must insist on results and support programs that work. It is in the best
interests of American children that we reform our public schools by
having strong accountability at its core.
Our budget will honor commitments of America's senior citizens.
Social Security and Medicare funds will be protected for Social Security
and Medicare. We're now spending $216 billion on Medicare. Under my
budget, Medicare spending will increase by more than 21 billion in 2002.
My budget also locks away $2.6 trillion of the $5.6 trillion surplus for
Social Security over the next 10 years.
Our budget is fiscally responsible. If enacted, it will reduce debt
by an unprecedented amount over the next 4 years. Altogether, about 60
percent of the projected Federal surplus will be used to fund priorities
and to reduce debt.
After we've funded our priorities, after we pay down an
unprecedented amount of debt, we'll still have money left over, which
leaves us with two options: First is to spend it on bigger Government,
or return it to the taxpayers who earned it. I believe it should be
returned to the taxpayers. It's the people's money, and the Government
ought to be passing it back after it's met priorities.
It is also necessary because these are uncertain times--increasing
layoffs, growing consumer debt, lower consumer confidence--and lower
taxes will help our economy. This will be a responsible and fair budget
that reflects the Nation's priorities. I invite the American people to
listen to what I have to say to the Congress.
I will be glad to answer any questions you have.
Robert Hanssen Espionage Case
Q. Mr. President, in light of the latest spy scandal, should senior
FBI officials be required to take polygraph tests? And secondly, what,
if any, responsibility should the FBI Director, Louis Freeh, bear for
this breach of national security?
The President. I have confidence in Director Freeh. I think he does a good job. I have confidence in the men
and women who work at the FBI. I am deeply concerned about the current
spy case, as is Director Freeh. He has made the right move in selecting
Judge Webster to review all procedures in
the FBI to make sure that this doesn't happen again. We ought to be
concerned about espionage in America. In the statement I made the other
day, I said we will be diligent. We will find spies, and we will
prosecute them. I am pleased that they caught the spy. Now the courts
must act.
Q. Polygraphs--do we need polygraphs, though, to be able to catch
them?
The President. I look forward to seeing what Judge Webster has to say. I presume he's going to review that issue
and will make a recommendation to the Director and to me.
Q. Mr. President, do you believe that----
The President. It's not your turn, but go ahead. [Laughter] Yes,
Gregory [David Gregory, NBC News].
President Clinton's Pardons
Q. Do you believe that pardons were for sale in the Clinton White
House? And what, specifically, do you think should be done to look into,
to investigate the circumstances of the President's brother-in-law
accepting money to lobby him on pardons?
The President. David, I--as far as this White House is concerned,
it's time to go forward. I've too much to do to get a budget passed, to
get reforms passed for education, to get a tax cut passed, to strengthen
the military, than to be worrying about decisions that my predecessor
made.
I understand there's going to be some people on Capitol Hill that
are going to be asking questions. That's their right to do so. But I can
assure you our White House is moving forward. And to the extent
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the Justice Department looks into this matter, it will be done in a
nonpolitical way. During John Ashcroft's
confirmation process, I said that the Justice Department will conduct
its business in a nonpolitical way, and we will do so.
Q. Can I just follow?
The President. Sure. Yes, David.
Q. Other Presidents are commenting on this matter. On the Rich
pardon specifically, former President Carter said that in his opinion,
it was ``disgraceful.'' Do you not have an opinion on a power that is
absolute and is vested in you as the President?
The President. My opinion is, I will--should I decide to grant
pardons, I will do so in a fair way. I'll have the highest of high
standards.
But the President made the decisions he made, and he can answer the
questions raised by the American citizens and the press corps. This
White House is moving forward. We've got a lot to do. We've got a lot of
people to convince on our agenda. I think we're making pretty good
progress, but there's a lot of work to be done.
Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].
Russia-U.S. Relations
Q. Mr. President, do you think that U.S.-Russian relations have been
damaged by the new spy case? And secondly, are the Russians showing any
flexibility on a missile defense system?
The President. I intend to deal with Mr. Putin in a very straightforward way, to be up front with
him on all matters. I am, of course, disturbed about the espionage--the
alleged espionage that took place. I'm mindful that there are people who
don't particularly care what America stands for and people who are
interested in our secrets.
Secondly, I was pleased to see comments from Russian leadership that
talked about missile defense. It is a--their words indicate that they
recognize that there are new threats in the post-cold-war era, threats
that require theater-based antiballistic missile systems. I felt those
words were encouraging.
When I meet with Mr. Putin, I'm going to
talk to him about exactly what he meant by those words. We have no
meeting set up yet, I might add, but I took that to be encouraging,
Steve. It reminded me of what happened after I met with Mr.
Ivanov. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Putin also
talked about theater-based systems and the ability to intercept missiles
on launch. And to me, it's indicative of his recognition of the
realities of the true threats in the post-cold-war era, threats from an
accidental launch or threats as a result of a leader in what they call a
rogue nation, trying to hold ourselves or our allies or Russia, for that
matter, hostage. So I was pleased with what I saw.
John [John Roberts, CBS News].
Sanctions Against Iraq
Q. Sir, the Secretary of State is departing for the Middle East
tomorrow. One of the things that he will be discussing with Middle East
leaders is the possibility of modifying sanctions on Iraq, and I'm
wondering what message he will take from this administration to leaders
in the Middle East in the area of sanctions that matter, sanctions that
are effective on the regime but do not carry with them the same level of
criticism that current sanctions have had in that they affect the Iraqi
civilian population more than they do the regime, sir.
The President. We're reviewing all policy in all regions of the
world, and one of the areas we've been spending a lot of time on is the
Persian Gulf and the Middle East. The Secretary of State is going to go listen to our allies as to how best to
effect a policy, the primary goal of which will be to say to Saddam
Hussein, we won't tolerate you developing
weapons of mass destruction, and we expect you to leave your neighbors
alone.
I have said that the sanction regime is like Swiss cheese. That
meant that they
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weren't very effective. And we're going to review current sanction
policy and review options as to how to make the sanctions work. But the
primary goal is to make it clear to Saddam
that we expect him to be a peaceful neighbor in the region, and we
expect him not to develop weapons of mass destruction. And if we find
him doing so, there will be a consequence.
We took action last week, and it may be on your mind as to that
decision I made. The mission was twofold. One was to send him a clear
message that this administration will remain engaged in that part of the
world. I think we accomplished that mission. We got his attention. And
secondly, the mission was to degrade his capacity to harm our pilots who
might be flying in the no-fly zone. And we accomplished that mission, as
well.
Q. Sir, if I could follow up----
The President. Yes, John, go ahead.
Q. How would you characterize sanctions that work, sir?
The President. Sanctions that work are sanctions that when a--the
collective will of the region supports the policy, that we have a
coalition of countries that agree with the policy set out by the United
States. To me, that's the most effective form of sanctions.
Many nations in that part of the world aren't adhering to the
sanction policy that had been in place, and as a result, a lot of goods
are heading into Iraq that were not supposed to. And so, good sanction
policy is one where the United States is able to build a coalition
around the strategy.
Yes, ma'am.
Legislative Agenda
Q. Mr. President, if I can go back to the controversy surrounding
former President Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, are you at
all concerned that these controversies are serving as a distraction for
your administration's agenda? Are you concerned that further
congressional hearings will mean that lawmakers are spending more time
on those matters than on working on your policies?
The President. I--as I said earlier, I've got a lot of work to do,
and I think I've got the Congress' attention. I certainly hope so. There
has been a lot of discussion about tax relief, and I'm pleased with the
progress being made on that important subject. There's a lot of hot
debate that have already taken place, and we've just begun to make the
case. I'm beginning to travel around the country to important States--
all the States are important, of course, but some States may be more
important than others right now in trying to convince some lawmakers to
hear the message of the people. This is an issue that affects everybody
who pays taxes. Congress is listening to the debate. They're
participating in the debate.
There's a lot of discussion about education reform on the Hill, and
I'm confident that the focus will be the right focus. And my speech
Tuesday night, I hope, will help keep the focus on the agenda.
Yes, ma'am. You're next.
Faith-Based Initiative
Q. Mr. President, why do you refuse to respect the wall between the
church and state? And you know that the mixing of religion and
government for centuries has led to slaughter. I mean, the very fact
that our country has stood in good stead by having the separation--why
do you break it down?
The President. Helen, [Helen Thomas, Hearst Newspapers]. I strongly
respect the separation of church and state----
Q. Well, you wouldn't have a religious office in the White House if
you did.
The President. I didn't get to finish my answer, in all due respect.
I believe that so long as there's a secular alternative available, we
ought to allow individuals who are helping to be able to choose a
program that may be run by a faith-based program, or will be run by a
faith-based program.
I understand full well that some of the most compassionate missions
of help and
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aid come out of faith-based programs. And I strongly support the Faith-
Based Initiative that we're proposing, because I don't believe it
violates the line between the separation of church and state, and I
believe it's going to make America a better place.
Q. Well, you are a secular official.
The President. I agree. I am a secular official.
Q. And not a missionary.
Airstrikes on Iraq
Q. Sir, on the airstrikes in Iraq, the Pentagon is now saying that
most of the bombs used in those strikes missed their targets. Given
that, what is now your assessment of how successful those strikes were?
How much danger do the remaining installations that we missed in those
strikes pose to our forces? And would you hit them again if commanders
in the field asked for authorization to do so?
The President. I--we had two missions. One was to send a clear
signal to Saddam, and the other was to
degrade the capacity of Saddam to injure our pilots. I believe we
succeeded in both those missions. The bomb assessment damage report is
ongoing, and I look forward to hear what the Pentagon has to say as they
fully assess, completely assess the mission. And I will continue to
listen to the commanders in the field. My job as Commander in Chief is
to get input from the commanders in the field, and we will do everything
needed to protect our pilots, to protect the men and women who wear the
uniform.
Bruni [Frank Bruni, New York Times].
Tax Relief Legislation
Q. You said that your $1.6 trillion tax cut is reasonable and
responsible within the outlines of the budget you're going to present.
If, when that gets to Congress, things start getting layered on to it,
like corporate tax cuts, capital gains, would you still support it? And
if it reached your desk at a higher level, would you sign it?
The President. As you know, I shy away from hypotheticals, Pancho.
I'm going to resist the Christmas tree effect of tax policy. I don't
want people putting ornaments on my plan. I have made it clear to the
business interests that the best tax policy is one that reduces the
taxes on the people, and I hope they listen to me, and I hope they help
me get the tax plan through that I have proposed.
And the reason I feel so strongly about that is, one, a marginal cut
will help the economy. Secondly, I am deeply concerned about high energy
prices and their effect on the working people in the country. I am
concerned about consumer debt. I know there's a lot of talk in
Washington about paying down the national debt, and that's fine and
good, and our budget will do so. But I am very concerned about the fact
that a lot of consumers in our country have got high consumer debt. And
I believe we need to share some of their money with them so they can
help manage their own personal finances. And I will resist the
temptation by folks to pile on their pet projects on to our tax cut.
Q. But if they do pile on?
The President. Well, first of all, I'm not willing to admit defeat
right here before I've begun to fight or persuade--let me put it to you
that way. I think I've got a pretty good case, and I think that many of
the business interests will hear that case.
Yes, sir.
Plan Colombia/Trade Promotion Authority
Q. You've shown a lot of interest in Latin America issues.
The President. Si.
Q. I have a double question for you. The first one has to do with
Colombia. There's a big meeting on Tuesday with President Pastrana, and
a lot of people are still worried about the implications of Plan
Colombia, which your predecessor set in motion, about possible future
military involvement of the United States. I want to know your
impressions of Plan Colombia.
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And my second question has to do with the free trade agreement for
Latin America. You're going to be going to Quebec in April. Are you
going to ask for fast-track approval so this thing can get going again,
because it's been kind of dormant lately?
The President. I appreciate that question. I'd love to have fast-
track approval. I think it's going to be important to work with our
neighbors to the south and Canada to the north, to promote free trade
throughout the hemisphere.
I spoke to the Prime Minister of Canada
this morning, and that subject came up, about the summit, upcoming
summit. And so we're going to begin the process in Congress. Ambassador
Zoellick will be working with Members of
Congress to lay the groundwork for the ability for the President to have
what they call fast-track negotiating authority.
Secondly, I look forward to my meeting with President
Pastrana. I'm looking forward to the
briefing that he'll be bringing from Colombia. And I, too, am worried
about ever committing the United States military to an engagement in
that part of the world. I know we're training, and that's fine, but the
mission ought to be limited to just that. And so I share the concern of
those who are worried that at some point in time the United States might
become militarily engaged.
Now, in terms of the success of the mission, the
President's going to bring me his firsthand
account of what's taking place in the country. I am concerned about the
amount of acreage in cultivation for the growth of coca leaves. We've
got to do a better job of working with the Colombia Government on its
eradication program.
I had a long talk about the Andes with President Fox. I'm convinced President Fox will be a stabilizing
influence for that part of the world. Fortunately, we've got a good
relationship so that he will share with me his insights as things
develop. He has had meetings with Mr. Pastrana and Mr. Chavez, and I believe
Vicente Fox is going to be a stabilizing influence and a positive
influence on the Andes.
Jim [Jim Angle, Fox News].
China and Iraq
Q. Mr. President, on Iraq, what is your understanding of the Chinese
presence in Iraq, especially with regard to constructing military
facilities? And do you see anything that you see as a violation of U.N.
sanctions?
The President. We're concerned about the Chinese presence in Iraq,
and we are--my administration is sending the appropriate response to the
Chinese. Yes, it's troubling that they'd be involved in helping Iraq
develop a system that will endanger our pilots.
Q. That is what they're doing, sir, you're convinced that is----
The President. We think that may be the case. Let me just tell you
this. It's risen to the level where we're going to send a message to the
Chinese.
Let's see. Kelly Wallace [Cable News Network].
Q. Oh, I get a second one?
The President. Yes, Dick [John Dickerson, Time].
Presidential Pardons
Q. Mr. President, when you campaigned--I know you want to move
forward on this question of pardons--but when you campaigned, you talked
about the legacy of the sixties, where leaders didn't stand up and take
their moral role and say something had been done wrong here. You want to
move forward, but on the question of these pardons, do you feel there's
any moral obligation, in terms of your office, to stand up and say to
those who may be watching this, look, something has been done wrong
here?
The President. I think the press corps will ferret out any
wrongdoing. My job is to assure the American people that this
administration will have the highest ethical
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standards. And we're going to move forward. The President made decisions
he made, and I made the decision in this White House to move forward.
And we will.
Q. President Bush, given the questions that are being raised about
the involvement of Senator Hillary Clinton's brother in the pardons
process, what kind of guidance would you give members of your own
politically active family in not only seeking pardons but seeking any
other influence on any other issues with your administration?
The President. My guidance to them is, behave yourself. And they
will.
Tax Relief Legislation
Q. Mr. President, to follow up on your answer on the tax question,
perhaps looking at it the other way, some people are saying that perhaps
it's too large a tax cut.
The President. Some are saying it's too small; some are saying it's
too large; and I'm saying it's just right.
Q. But are you willing----
The President. Let him have another. I interrupted him.
Q. You were not willing to be flexible in terms of people who want
to increase the size. Are you willing to be flexible with people who
want to lower the size of your tax cut?
The President. I think it's just right. We've thought long and hard
about the right number. This is a well-planned-out tax relief package
that addresses the concerns of working Americans. It is needed. It is
necessary. It will make a very positive difference in the lives of
people who pay taxes, and our country can afford it.
There is a choice we have to make: Once we meet priorities, do we
increase the size of the Government, or do we increase the amount of
money in the pockets of the people who are working for a living? It is
the right size, and it is the right time for tax relief in the country.
Bill [Bill Plante, CBS News]. And then you're next.
Q. And on that same subject----
The President. Yes, sir.
Q. ----your tax and budget package, how can you be sure that, as you
put it, there will be money left over? All it would take would be a
less-than-one-percentage-point drop in productivity for that out-year
surplus to dwindle or maybe even vanish. And also, nobody, including
Alan Greenspan, thinks that it would provide much of a current stimulus.
The President. First of all, I think given the choice between
increasing the baselines of the budget, to the extent to which it had
been increased the past, and passing money back to the people, I think
Mr. Greenspan--not to put words in his
mouth--but it seems like--why don't I just put some words in his mouth--
[laughter]--it seems like what he said in his testimony is, he would
rather see tax relief rather than increasing the size of the budgets
beyond the needs of the country.
Secondly, I believe we can do a heck of a lot better in growing our
economy than the basic assumptions in the 10-year plan. I believe that
good monetary policy, good fiscal policy, good regulatory policy, good
trade policy will enable our economy to grow beyond the scope that is
envisioned in the current budget projections.
Secondly, I believe, as well, that if we don't pass some of the
money back to the people that pay the bills, it is going to be spent.
And I worry about a bloated Federal Government serving as a drag on
economic growth.
Yes, sir.
Visit of United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair
Q. Mr. President, Stephen Sackur of the BBC.
The President. Yes, sir.
Q. You have a meeting with Prime Minister Blair tomorrow.
The President. Correct.
Q. There are some concerns in this country about the European plan
for what they
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call a rapid-reaction force, their own military capability. What will
you tell Prime Minister Blair about the American attitude to this rapid-
reaction force?
The President. I, first, look forward to the visit. I'm anxious to
meet the Prime Minister. We've had a couple of good conversations on the
telephone. I'm thankful that he's coming across the--actually coming
down from Canada--but coming across the sea to visit us. Laura and I are
looking to having a private dinner with he and Mrs. Blair Friday night. We'll be having a press availability
after our meeting, and----
Q. I know, but I think a lot of people would like to----
The President. Well, why don't we wait until after he and I visit so
I don't have to give the same answer twice.
Q. But just on the whole outline of the question of the European
defense capability----
The President. You bet. I understand, you're trying to get me to
tell you the answer twice. [Laughter] Britain and the United States have
got a special relationship. We'll keep it that way. I look forward to
talking to the Prime Minister about the importance of NATO. It is--
anyway, let me visit with him first. I promise to call upon you
tomorrow. Nice try.
Yes, sir.
Federal Budget
Q. Mr. President, you've talked a lot about areas of the budget that
are going to increase--education; today you talked about Medicare;
you've talked before a little bit about defense. You haven't talked much
about the areas where, to come in with a budget that's going to be
responsible, you'll have to do some cuts.
The President. Yes.
Q. Where might we see you take the red pen to the budget?
The President. Let me remind you, and the people who are listening,
that accounting in Washington is a little different than the way
normal--I shouldn't say ``normal people''--the average person accounts.
This is a town where if you don't increase the budget by an expected
number, it's considered a cut.
We're going to slow the rate of growth of the budget down. It should
come to no surprise to anybody that my budget is going to say, loud and
clear, that the rate of growth of the budget, for example, from last
year, was excessive. And so we'll be slowing the rate of growth of the
budgets down. That, evidently, is a cut. In my parlance, it's not a cut.
When you increase spending, it's not a cut.
I will be glad to explain some of the slowdowns and some of the
increases and perhaps a decrease or two after we put the budget out. Let
me submit it on Tuesday, and then I'll be glad to answer any questions.
Thank you for this. I look forward to this--I look forward to future
press conferences.
Q. Frequently? [Laughter]
The President. Well, yes, of course. [Laughter]
Q. Once a week?
The President. Well, you don't want to see me once a week. You'll
run out of questions.
Q. Twice a week?
The President. Oh, twice? [Laughter] I'll be running out of ties.
[Laughter]
Thank you very much.
Note: The President's news conference began at 2:40 p.m. in the James S.
Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. In his remarks, he
referred to Judge William Webster, former Director, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, who was selected to lead the investigation of Special
Agent Robert Hanssen; President Vladimir Putin and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Igor Ivanov of Russia; President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime
Minister Jean Chretien of Canada; U.S. Trade Representative Robert B.
Zoellick; President Andres Pastrana of Colombia; President Vicente Fox
of Mexico; President
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Hugo Chavez of Venezuela; and Cherie Blair, wife of Prime Minister Tony
Blair of the United Kingdom. Reporters referred to Roger Clinton,
brother of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.