[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
[February 25, 2002]
[Pages 285-286]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the National Governors' Association
February 25, 2002

    The President. Thank you all. Welcome back. I've got a few remarks 
I'd like to make. I understand a couple of Governors are going to make 
some remarks, and then I'll be glad to answer some questions if you have 
any.
    First, I again want to say what I said last night. This has been a 
trying time for all of us. We've been tested here in the Nation's 
Capital, but you all have been tested as well. And I want to 
congratulate you on your great leadership.
    You know, the people of our country looked to all of us to determine 
how we'd react after September 11th. And I was impressed by the calm 
demeanor of the Governors and the steady resolve to lead the people. The 
country cried for leadership, and you all provided it. And thanks a lot 
for doing that.
    I also love to welcome Governors because Governors are problem-
solvers. In this town, there's a lot of talkers and kind of problem-
shufflers. But Governors are problem-solvers. And it's going to be good 
to be able to talk to each other about how to solve problems that we 
face, budget problems, the issue of homeland security, education, as 
well as welfare reform.
    And I want to talk about three of them briefly today, and that's 
homeland security--first, I appreciate the Governor, the leadership. I 
want to thank Engler and Governor Patton for you hosting the NGA here and coming by the White 
House.
    I also want to thank my friend Tom Ridge. You 
know, he was doing pretty good as the Governor of Pennsylvania, just 
sitting around--[laughter]--looking for something to do. And I called 
him, and I said, ``We've got a problem. We've got to secure our 
homeland.'' I said, ``This is an enemy that wants to hit us again,'' and 
I said, ``We'd better be ready.'' And I said, ``Would you come and be a 
member of my Cabinet, be sitting at my right hand there, and design a 
national strategy for homeland security?'' And fortunately for the 
country, he said yes, and he's doing a fine job.
    And we've begun, as you all know, an extensive program to have a 
better first-responders initiative. And we've got $1.6 billion of new 
money in the budget for that--no--yes, 3.5--right. But I mean--for 
homeland, for first-responders is how much?
    Director Ridge. We're going--different parts 
of it are going up, but this is 3.5.
    The President. Three-point-five, and then we've got 1.6 for 
bioterrorism. And we're working on a border security initiative, and 
we're reforming the INS. As I like to tell people, we now need to know 
who's coming in and when they're leaving, for the good of the security 
of the country. I remember going up to Maine and talking about 
strengthening the Coast Guard, which matters to those of you who live on 
the oceans and on the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard is such a valuable 
part of our homeland security piece, and our budget includes increases 
for the Coast Guard, a modernization of our fleet.
    And so I'm real proud of the efforts we're making. And obviously, 
you all play a crucial role in not only helping develop a homeland 
defense strategy but the implementation of the strategy. And I think 
you'll find--I guess Tom has talked to you 
already--that we understand the need to coordinate. And both of us were 
Governors, and we simply do not want the Federal Government to be--seem 
distant and removed on this important issue.
    And then education, we passed a great education bill. As I used to--
I tease people--I said it came as a complete shock to people in 
Crawford, Texas, that I would say that Ted Kennedy did a great job on a bill, but he did. This is a good 
piece

[[Page 286]]

of legislation because it sets clear priorities, it encourages 
accountability so that no child is quit on, that people--we focus on 
each individual child. It also provides States more flexibility than 
ever before, and it's got some money in it. It's got more Title--$1 
billion in more Title I money. It's got a substantial increase for the 
reading initiative. It is a good piece of legislation.
    And now, obviously, it depends upon its implementation. And so we're 
working closely with Rod Paige and the 
Department of Education to make sure that the intent of the law is now 
implemented fully. And we look forward to working with you on that. 
Obviously--I used to say that education is to a Governor what national 
defense is to the President. It is by far the most important priority 
for a Governor. And I know that, and I understand that. And this bill 
is--it reflects that. And we'll make sure the implementation of it 
reflects that as well.
    And then welfare reform, welfare authorization is coming up. I start 
with the idea that the '96 bill was a really good piece of legislation. 
And it changed welfare for the better, primarily because it relied upon 
Governors. It had a substantial local control element in it. And so as 
we reauthorize welfare, we want to make sure that there is substantial 
authority at the local level.
    We'll talk about funding. The budget I laid out for welfare reform 
holds the grants constant. Actually, it increases the--as a result of 
the supplemental and the contingency fund, it increases funding by--
let's see, 3.2 billion over the next 5 years, on top of the grants that 
are already in place.
    And so the fundamental question is: Will there be enough local 
authority, enough flexibility at the local level to meet what I hope 
Congress passes, which are new work requirements? See, I think work 
ought to be the core of welfare reform. I think in order to make sure 
that welfare reform works, that there's flexibility at the States, that 
there's recognition people need training or drug rehabilitation, but 
work ought to be the centerpiece of a good welfare law.
    And the bill I'm going to outline tomorrow, with Tommy at my side--where are you, Tommy? There he is--is 
going to take the positive pieces of the '96 welfare law, changing 
welfare as we know it, and we're going to make it better. There's more 
to do, and we look forward to working with you on that as well.
    And so those are the things that are on my mind. I know you've got 
things on your mind, and I look forward to hearing them. And we can have 
a good discussion today.
    I want to welcome you back. I recognize I'm not exactly 
Bernadette Peters--[laughter]--but she did 
a fabulous job last night to fill this hall. It was such a joyous night, 
and it's particularly joyous for me and Laura to be with our old friends 
the Governors.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 3:12 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. John Engler of Michigan; Gov. 
Paul E. Patton of Kentucky; and entertainer Bernadette Peters.