    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 8, 2001]
    [Pages 1359-1360]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks During a Tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    and an Exchange With Reporters in Atlanta, Georgia
    November 8, 2001

        The President. You know, a lot of Americans never heard of the CDC.
    They're wondering what CDC means. And they have learned that the folks
    who work at CDC are part of a vast army to fight off the terrorist
    attacks in America. And I'm so fortunate to be able to come by and say
    hello to the people that are working endless hours to provide good
    public health information, remedies, a quick response to people who have
    been affected by this evil attack.
        I believe--firmly believe that because of the good folks who work in
    this building and other buildings throughout Atlanta, Georgia, and
    throughout the country for CDC, that we've saved a lot of lives in
    America. And the very least I can do is come by and thank them for their
    hard work and their dedication to the country. So, for a group of folks
    that have made a difference in America, it's--and no one ever heard
    about, they're going to hear about--be heard about tonight. I'm going to
    talk about public health officials as part of being the new heroes of
    America. And that's why I've come by today, to thank them.

    Resources for the Centers for Disease Control

        Q. Mr. President, what sort of--[inaudible]--does the CDC need now
    from the administration?
        The President. Well, one of the things that they need is for there
    to be an organization that allows for the free flow of information--that
    when the CDC finds something, gets information, they're able to pass it
    throughout our Government. And we're getting really well organized. The
    CDC's whole function is to help save lives, and the faster information
    can move, the more

    [[Page 1360]]

    analysis can happen on a real-time basis, the more likely it is people
    will live.
        In terms of the CDC budget, one of the jobs of Tom Ridge, the new Homeland Security Director, is to collect
    information. And we'll present a budget to Congress. And if we need to
    present a supplemental, we'll do so next year. But we're collecting all
    the information to make sure that our strategy is seamless and the
    budget reflects a seamless strategy.

    Smallpox Vaccines

        Q. Mr. President, what's your take on the call for a universal
    application of smallpox vaccines for all Americans?
        The President. We're in the process of--I'm looking at different
    options for smallpox. One thing is for certain, we need to make sure
    vaccines are available if there were to ever be an outbreak.
        As to whether or not we ought to have mandatory vaccinations, I'm
    working with Tommy Thompson on that. One
    of my concerns is, if we were to have universal vaccination, some might
    lose their life. And I would be deeply concerned about a vaccination
    program that would cause people to lose their life. But I'm looking at
    all options, all possibilities, and we'll work with the smartest minds
    in America to develop the best strategies in how to deal with a
    potential smallpox attack.

    Homeland Security

        Q. Mr. President, do you think the Postal Service should be bailed
    out? The Postmaster General is suggesting billions may be needed.
        The President. We are looking at all opportunities to spend money in
    our Government, and we're going to make sure that any supplemental that
    may or may not occur next year fits into an overall national strategy. I
    told the appropriators in Congress that we believe we've got ample money
    to make it through the holiday season and the beginning of next year,
    that the $40 billion that they appropriated in the supplemental is ample
    to meet our homeland security needs as well as our defense needs, and
    that before we spend more money, let's make sure we have a national
    strategy to deal with the homeland defense issue. And that's--the Postal
    Service is part of the homeland defense.
        So we'll look at all opportunities to spend money. But I urge
    Congress not to break the budget agreement that we signed off to in
    early October. And I remind them that the $40 billion of supplemental is
    enough to meet the Nation's needs. We have hardly even begun to spend
    the $40 billion that they presented. But we're listening to all
    requests.
        Thank you, everybody.
        Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. My pleasure.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:25 p.m. in auditorium B of the CDC
    headquarters building. A tape was not available for verification of the
    content of these remarks.