    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [April 16, 2002]
    [Pages 618-622]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Leaders of the Fiscal Responsibility Coalition
    April 16, 2002

        Well, thank you all very much. I appreciate you coming and giving me
    a chance to discuss the budget of our country.
        First, I want to thank Ted Fowler
    and Grady Rosier for leading this noble
    effort to make sure that Congress gets the message that fiscal sanity
    and discipline is important as we fight our war against terror. I want
    to thank the members of my administration who are here, the Deputy
    Director of the OMB; I don't know where ``The
    Blade'' is, but--[laughter]--he's
    traveling. But I want to thank you all very much for making up the
    Fiscal Responsibility Coalition.
        Now, last night was not only the night people were supposed to file
    their taxes, but Congress was supposed to file its budget. The House
    has, and the Senate hasn't acted yet. But I want you to know that we
    fulfilled our responsibility.
        And I want to talk about budgeting in the face of the war against
    terror and budgeting in the face of a slowdown in our economy. It's an
    important issue because sound budgeting is going to determine whether or
    not--and sound appropriating is going to determine whether or not people
    are going to be able to find work.

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        First, I think it's important on any budget to set priorities. And I
    want to share with you the three priorities that I've set and why I did
    it. Homeland security: We've doubled the amount of money available for
    homeland security, because my most important job is to protect our
    homeland. I need to be able to say to the American people that you can
    go about your lives because we're doing everything we can to protect
    you. And we are.
        We've got money in our budget for first-time responders--those are
    your police and your fire and your emergency medical teams--so that they
    can have a capacity to respond to any emergency that may occur, if one
    does. We've got money for bioterrorism in our budget. We've got
    medicines available. We're beefing up the public health units around the
    country. We've got money in our budget for border security. I mean,
    let's be frank about it, we've got to know--do a better job about
    knowing who's coming in and why they're coming into America, how long
    they intend to stay, and whether or not they're staying for as long as
    they say they're staying.
        We beefed up our Coast Guard to make sure that our ports and--ports
    of entry are better protected. We're doing a much better job here in
    America of communicating between law enforcement agencies. We've got
    money in our budget to modernize the capacity for the FBI to communicate
    internally, as well as with other law enforcement agencies around the
    country.
        You just need to know that anytime we get any hint that somebody
    might be thinking about doing something to America, we're responding.
    We're chasing down every possible lead to make sure the homeland is
    secure.
        But the reality is, is that the way to secure the homeland is to
    find these killers, wherever they try to hide, and bring them to
    justice. That's the best way to secure America. I know some Americans
    wonder what is--how long this is going to go on. The answer is, for
    however long it takes. History has called us into action. We're not
    going to blink. We're not going to get tired. We're going to do what is
    necessary to defend our freedoms.
        I like to tell people in these speeches I'm giving that I can't
    imagine what went through the mind of the killers. They must have
    thought we were so materialistic, so self-absorbed, that all we were
    going to do was file a lawsuit. [Laughter] They found out that we think
    differently here.
        And so my budget prioritizes our national defense. It's the biggest
    increase in the defense budget in 20 years. And there's a couple of
    reasons why. First, anytime we send our troops into harm's way, they've
    got to have the best training, the best equipment, the best possible
    pay. I mean, we owe it to our soldiers that it be this way.
        And secondly, the size of the budget request ought to indicate to
    the American people that we're in it for the--and the enemy, by the
    way--that we're in this for the long pull; that there is no calendar on
    my desk that says, ``Oh, by the way, this thing must end by such-and-
    such a moment.'' That's just not the way I'm thinking, and it's not the
    way our military is thinking. And the Congress needs to understand that
    as well, that it's expensive to fight for freedom, but it's not too
    expensive because it's freedom we fight for.
        These people, these terrorists still want to hit us. They're
    coldblooded murderers. That's just what they are, and we're denying them
    places to hide. And slowly but surely, we're going to get them. And just
    ask their chief operating officer, Abu Zubaydah, what it's like to be on
    the wrong side of the United States of America. We got him, and
    America's safer for it, but there's more out there.
        I feel the same way, by the way, about nations that are going to
    develop these weapons of mass destruction, who have got a history of
    hating America, hating freedom, and using these weapons against their
    own people, for example. I've got one

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    country in mind, as I laid out that characteristic. [Laughter]
        But we can't, for the good of our children and for the sake of our
    future, allow them ever to team up with an Al Qaida organization and try
    to hold us hostage or hold the free world hostage. And it's just not
    going to happen. I'm going to be patient and deliberate, be steady. And
    our budget reflects that.
        And so--and the third priority has been to make sure that we promote
    economic vitality and growth. And so the priority in the budget was the
    tax cut that many of you worked on and is now in place. And I will tell
    you that I remember giving speech after speech after speech saying our
    economy needs a tax cut. It's important to let people have their own
    money so that they can spend. And when they do, demand increases, and
    then somebody will meet that demand with a good or a service, and then
    somebody will be able to find work. And it made a huge difference in
    our--in the vitality of our economy that we cut the taxes. Those taxes
    need to be permanent, by the way. And I look forward to working--
    [applause].
        And the budget also included a blueprint for the economic stimulus
    plan that I signed. And again, I want to thank some of you in this room
    for working on this--a good thing.
        And so I urge Congress to get moving on the appropriations process,
    particularly when it comes to the Defense bill. Generally, here in
    Washington, they wait and put the Defense bill out last. I'm not going
    to read any reasons why into that; it just happens. I'll let the experts
    tell you why.
        It seems like to me, if we're at war--and we are at war--that they
    ought to get the Defense appropriations bill out first and not play
    games with the Defense appropriations. And so I'm asking Congress to do
    that. I've made this clear to the leadership. I had a breakfast; they
    were--seemed to be very responsive. And now it's time for the
    appropriators to act.
        I also ask Congress to pass the supplemental that we submitted. It's
    emergency funding for defense and homeland security and economic
    security, and we'd like to get that done by Memorial Day. It's time for
    them to get that supplemental passed.
        The key, however, in making sure that this all fits together is that
    Congress understand the consequences of excessive spending beyond the
    priorities. The budget we submitted sets our priorities, but areas
    outside of our priorities will increase in expenditure by 2 percent,
    which is a pretty darn healthy increase in times of war. It means that
    we're going to meet other obligations. The education bill, for example,
    is an increase, after a substantial increase from last year.
        And one of the things that I'm urging Congress is to make sure that
    when they begin to think about programs and what they're going to spend
    the money on, is to think of the lessons of the past. We must not repeat
    the mistakes in the sixties, when increased spending required by war was
    not balanced by slower spending in the rest of Government, that the
    appropriators thought, ``What the heck, we'll just spend it on
    everything without any fiscal discipline in Washington, DC.'' And as a
    result, in the seventies, we faced unemployment and growing deficits and
    spiraling inflation.
        In times of--now is the time for us to be responsible when it comes
    to spending the people's money. That's not to say that it's not always
    time to be responsible when it comes to spending the people's money, but
    it's a time to be disciplined. The lesson ought to be clear that when
    you have excess spending, it's going to cost people their jobs, and
    Congress has got to be very careful about that.
        The recession--no question, I remember when I was campaigning, I
    said, would you ever deficit spend? Or--and I said, ``Yes, only if there
    were a time of war, or recession, or a national emergency.'' Never
    thought we'd get--[laughter]. And so we

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    have a temporary deficit in our budget, because we are at war, we're
    recovering, our economy is recovering, and we've had a national
    emergency. But never did I dream we'd have the trifecta. [Laughter]
        But the key is to make sure it's as small as possible and to make
    sure it doesn't last very long. And so you'll hear some who will say,
    ``Well, let's raise taxes as the way to deal with this temporary
    deficit.'' That, of course, would slow the economy down. It would make
    deficits worse.
        The best way to make sure that we get rid of this deficit, this
    short-term, temporary deficit, is to continue stimulating our economy--
    more jobs, more growth equals more tax revenues--and at the same time,
    have strong fiscal discipline here in Washington, DC.
        If we restrain spending, even though we're at war, even though our
    economy is still clunking along, if we react responsibly, we can return
    to a balanced budget--something I want--as early as 2004. But tough
    choices on Capitol have to be made.
        I intend to help them make those choices. I want them to--
    [applause]. I think we can do so in the spirit of cooperation, focusing
    on what's best for America. This doesn't have to be a time for harsh
    partisanship, where people are trying to advance their own political
    agendas as opposed to focusing on what's best for the country.
        What's best for the country is winning the war on terror, buttoning
    up the homeland, and keeping this economy growing so people can find
    work. That's what's best for the country. And we don't have to get into
    needless partisan screeching over the budget. We've got to be wise and
    reasonable with the people's money.
        And we've got to have some goals, and I've set the goals in terms of
    the war and set the goals in terms of the homeland. Our economy needs to
    get growing. But we also can focus on making sure we end this deficit.
    And we can do so, if the United States Congress does not overspend. And
    that's what I'm here to ask for your help on.
        I know you're interested in our country. I know you're most
    interested in the budgeting process. And we need your help, to help them
    hold the line on spending. You've got a tool, and that's called your
    voice, and the people you work with. And I've got a tool, and that's
    called a veto. [Laughter] And perhaps--and together--[applause]--I don't
    think that's going to be necessary, because I believe, in this difficult
    time for America, there's a common spirit on Capitol Hill and one that
    we can promote and use for the benefit of the people.
        And let me conclude by telling you, as people who've got influence
    in your communities and around the country, that there is a way you can
    help fight in this war against terror beyond trying to affect the
    budget, make sure you keep employing people. And that is, to love your
    neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself; that if you're interested
    in fighting evil, do some good. Mentor a child; tell your own children
    you love them every single day; help a shut-in; get your church or
    synagogue or mosque to feed the hungry. Always remember there are
    pockets of despair and hopelessness in America, pockets of--places
    where--but a place that can be changed, as a result of a loving soul
    entering someone's life.
        The best way to fight evil in America is, do some good. And it's
    those collective acts of kindness and decency and compassion which will
    not only--stands America squarely in the face of evil, but which will
    turn the evil acts done to us as incredible good for people, people all
    around the country.
        This is a great country. There's no doubt in my mind that not only
    will we be able to achieve peace, but we'll achieve a hopeful America
    for everybody.
        Thank you all for coming, and may God bless.

    [[Page 622]]

    Note: The President spoke at 3:15 p.m. in Room 450 of the Dwight D.
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to
    Fiscal Responsibility Coalition members Theodore M. Fowler, Jr.,
    chairman of the board, National Restaurant Association, and W. Grady
    Rosier, chairman of the board, National Association of Wholesaler-
    Distributors; Deputy Director Nancy Dorn and Director Mitchell Daniels,
    Jr., Office of Management and Budget; and Abu Zubaydah, a leader of the
    Al Qaida terrorist organization who was captured March 28.