[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[March 12, 2001]
[Pages 225-227]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks During a Tour of Base Housing and an Exchange With Reporters at 
Tyndall Air Force Base
March 12, 2001

    The President. Donnie, thanks for having 
us--me, my brother, and about 400 other people in 
your living room.
    Senior Airman Donnie Bryant. I think this is the most I've ever had 
in my living room, sir.
    The President. Well, there are some fine Americans in your living 
room.
    Airman Bryant. Yes, sir.
    The President. Thanks for having us.
    Airman Bryant. Yes, sir.
    The President. So, tell us about housing here.
    Airman Bryant. Housing--we just recently have completed our Redfish 
Point housing, which is the housing right behind my house over here, the 
new housing. I think you may get a chance to drive by and see it.
    The President. Right, we are.
    Airman Bryant. This is the older housing. It's about 50 years old, 
built to the standards at the time. And these houses are totally being 
refurbished. We have kitchens being redone in them. The electric and all 
the plumbing and stuff, some of

[[Page 226]]

that's been taken care of. The outside electric has been put to an 
underground system instead of the overhead wiring that we had for a long 
time, that actually goes into the house. It saves a lot of problems with 
power problems around the house. We still have a few problems with 
plumbing, but I believe they are starting a project on that. We've had 
some plumbers pull in out back. But overall----
    The President. Particularly after they knew General Ryan was coming.
    Airman Bryant. Cleaned it up for you, Mr. President.
    But the main thing is, I guess we're trying to keep all the houses, 
the old houses up to par and keep everything maintained and keep the 
housing conditions livable.
    The President. That's my mission, as well.
    Airman Bryant. That's where we need our money, to keep projects 
going and to also make room for new houses and stuff, as well.
    The President. That's one of the reasons I've come to your house, to 
highlight my initiative that I look forward to working with the Air 
Force on, and base commanders all around the country, to refurbish 
housing and build new housing. I do think we need for a troop to be able 
to house his family; that's an important part of building morale in the 
military.
    Airman Bryant. Yes, sir. It is.
    The President. Thank you for letting us come by.
    Airman Bryant. Thank you, sir, for coming by.
    The President. We want Chloe to have a good 
roof over her.
    Theresa Bryant. Would you like to see her room?
    The President. Sure. Chloe, would you show 
me your room?
    Airman Bryant. Mr. President, I'll show you back there.
    The President. Is everybody going in there? [Laughter]

[At this point, the President toured the house and then took questions 
from the press.]

Tax Relief Legislation

    Q. Can I ask you your response to all those Senators that are saying 
they expect you to compromise on your tax cut plan?
    The President. Well, there's 100 opinions in the United States 
Senate, and I respect every opinion. But when they listen to what the 
American people want, they're going to find out people want something: 
They want a tax relief that's substantial and real. And I look forward 
to working with the Senate.
    Q. Does that mean you are or are not willing to compromise, sir?
    The President. I'm willing to listen to the 100 different voices 
who've got different views about where this package ought to go. And of 
course, I'm pleased with what happened in the House. And as I've said 
all along, I laid out a plan that I thought was the right size to begin 
with, and look forward to working with the Members to get this done. And 
we need to do it in a quick way in order to provide a little second wind 
to the economy.
    Q. What about Democrats running ads in the State against your tax 
package but wrapping that issue around the issue of the Florida recount, 
saying your brother delivered this State, and now look at what we're 
getting?
    The President. Some of the Democrats here want to keep revoting the 
election. But if they would listen to America, they would find that 
Americans want to move forward. Secondly, there are some who would 
rather spend the surplus on bigger Government. And I have an honest 
disagreement with those types of people.
    The American people, when they hear that we've got enough money to 
meet needs such as building housing on military bases or refurbishing 
housing on military bases, if we set priorities and have fiscally sound 
leadership in Washington, DC, they

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will find that there is enough money for tax relief.
    And I can understand why some--I mean, I don't understand it, but 
some people want to increase the size of the Federal Government. And if 
the people that are running those ads here in Florida want to travel the 
State and say, ``Support us because we want to increase the size of the 
Federal Government,'' I think they're going to find a lot of people 
aren't going to listen.
    Thank you all.

Faith-Based Initiative

    Q. You're not backing down off your faith-based program, are you?
    The President. Oh, not at all, no. Our faith-based--we've submitted 
a package to the United States Congress. I'm proud of the Faith-Based 
Initiative. There is a lot of bipartisan support on the Hill.
    And somebody mentioned something about an article today. I haven't 
read it yet. But no, we're moving forward. It's the right thing to do.
    Q. Thank you, sir.
    The President. Okay, see you all soon.

Note: The President spoke at approximately 11:45 a.m. during a tour of 
Airman Bryant's residence. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush 
of Florida; Gen. Michael E. Ryan, USAF, Chief of Staff; and Chloe 
Bryant, Airman Bryant's daughter. A tape was not available for 
verification of the content of these remarks.