    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [June 17, 2003]
    [Pages 642-647]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia
    June 17, 2003

        Thanks for the warm welcome. It's a pleasure to be here at Northern
    Virginia Community College. I am not the first person named Bush . to come to this place, at least not the first
    person from my family named Bush to come to this place. It turns out my
    dad was here. President Templin was
    describing to me that he signed an important piece of legislation here
    on this stage. And then the Northern Virginia Community College wised up
    and invited my mother--[laughter]--who gave the
    graduation speech here. And as I explained to the President, they're now
    working their way down the food chain. [Laughter] But thanks for having
    me.
        I appreciate the opportunity to come and talk about the fantastic
    opportunities that

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    people can find in our community college system across the country;
    about the idea of the need to have flexibility to make sure that
    training programs actually work to help people for jobs that exist; to
    thank the teachers not only here at this community college but around
    our country for being a part of a necessary and fine profession; to tell
    the students there are better days ahead when it comes for finding work.
        And to thank the Congress--Congressman Tom Davis is with us--and to thank Members of the Congress for
    coming together to pass a piece of legislation which will encourage job
    growth in our economy. As Elaine said, that I am
    concerned when I hear that anybody who wants to work can't find a job.
    And therefore, it was incumbent upon us, because too many of our fellow
    citizens were looking for work, to figure out ways to create an
    environment in which people would be willing to risk capital and expand
    the job base.
        And we did that by passing a really important piece of legislation.
    The jobs-and-growth bill will pass back money to the people who sent the
    money to Washington in the first place. And it will help with a--it
    helps because when people have more money in their pocket, they're going
    to demand an additional good or a service. And we need an increased
    demand in a sluggish economy. And when somebody demands an additional
    good or a service in our economy, somebody's going to produce that good
    or a service. And when that happens, someone is likely to find work.
        The jobs-and-growth bill came at the right time, and I want to thank
    the Congress for passing that bill. And as we expand the number of jobs
    in our economy, we better make sure that we have retrained people or
    trained people to fill those jobs. And that's what I want to talk about
    today. And that's why I'm grateful for President Templin for opening up this hall for me to speak, because it's
    here at our community colleges that people are likely to find the skills
    necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
        I want to thank Elaine Chao for her
    service to our country. She is a member of my Cabinet. And she's doing a
    really fine job on behalf of the American people. And I want to thank
    you, Elaine, for your service.
        I want to thank the attorney general of the State of Virginia for
    joining with us. General Jerry Kilgore is
    with us. I appreciate your concern; and I appreciate your interest; and
    thank you for coming.
        I've already mentioned Tom Davis, and now I've
    mentioned him twice. We just had our discussion with people that--people
    who are either helping people find work, or people who needed to find
    work and have found work, or people still looking to find work.
        And I want to thank those roundtable participants. Yvonne
    Golden is with us. She is a lady who is
    working, got laid off, didn't quit, and is now an independent
    bookkeeper. I appreciate your willingness to never give up hope and to
    be willing to retrain so that the skills that you have are honed to
    find--to find the work which exists.
        Connie Mitchell is with us. She used to
    work at the postal service. She left, struggled for a while, went to--is
    now a--wants to become a nurse. It turns out, as Elaine said, there's a
    lot of people that are looking for nurses, a lot of institutions looking
    for nurses around America. Connie and Andrea Weeks, who is with us as well--that's her little squirt
    making some noise over there. [Laughter] She's a single mom, which means
    she's got the toughest job in America, being a single mom. Yet she
    hasn't given up hope. She's here at Northern Virginia Community College.
    She wants to be a nurse. To the extent possible, the community college
    is providing courses for would-be nurses.
        The president explained to me there is a bottleneck when it comes to
    the training programs. We need to do something about

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    it. We need to make sure that when there's demand for talent, people
    willing to acquire the skills necessary to meet that demand, that there
    is a smooth transition. And evidently there's a bottleneck in our
    community college system, which I've asked Elaine to look into and Congress must address when it comes to
    providing flexibility for worker trainer money--worker training money.
        Ralph Orlandella is with us. He was
    gainfully employed. September the 11th of 2001 affected his employment
    picture; he was laid off shortly thereafter. He went to a One-Stop
    program run by Dai Nguyen who is with us; he's
    the program manager of the Falls Church SkillSource Center. He walked in
    the place; he found help from one of Dai's fellow workers. He's now a
    teacher at Hayfield Secondary School. He didn't give up. He went for
    help; help was available; the system worked. And now he's practicing a
    noble profession. And I want to thank you very much for doing that.
        And I want to thank Dai and his fellow
    coworkers for making the One-Stop worker training center effective.
    After all, that's what we're interested in, is effective programming and
    effective use of taxpayers' money to help willing worker find a job and
    to have relevant skills for the 21st century.
        We faced challenges. The biggest challenge we faced in order to get
    this economy going was for people to have confidence in the future. And
    there had been some uncertainty. September the 11th created a lot of
    uncertainty in America. After all, it changed how we--our strategic
    outlook. Oceans could no longer protect us from an enemy which hates
    what we stand for. And we made a determination as a country that no
    matter how long it took, we would hunt down those who hate freedom, the
    terrorists, and bring them to justice, which is precisely what this
    country has done and will continue to do.
        We have engaged in two major battles in the war on terror, one in
    Afghanistan, where we made it clear that if you harbor a terrorist,
    you're just as guilty as the terrorist. And the Taliban paid a price for
    harboring and training Al Qaida. And as a result of the actions of the
    United States and our coalition, the people of Afghanistan are now free
    from the clutches of a barbaric regime. And many young girls now go to
    school for the first time, thanks to the United States of America.
        And we acted in Iraq as well. We made it clear to the dictator of
    Iraq that he must disarm. We asked other
    nations to join us in seeing to it that he would disarm. And he chose
    not to do so, so we disarmed him. And I know there's a lot of
    revisionist history now going on, but one thing is certain: He is no
    longer a threat to the free world, and the people of Iraq are free.
        The world is still a dangerous place, but America will rise to the
    challenge. The security of our country is of paramount importance. And
    no matter how long it takes, no matter what the sacrifices may be, that
    the United States of America will fight for freedom and will defend the
    security of our people. It is a charge that we have been given, and it
    is a charge that we will keep.
        We've also got a challenge here at home with our economy. As I
    mentioned to you, anytime anybody is looking for work, we've got an
    issue. And the tax relief plan is going to have a positive effect on the
    outlook of the American investor and the American consumer. After all,
    starting in July, there will be checks sent to American families with
    children reflecting the difference between the $600 child credit today
    and the $1,000 child credit that the Congress passed into law, which I
    signed. As we say in America, the check is in the mail--[laughter]--
    soon.
        The point is, people will have more money in their pocket. And
    that's important. After all, it's not the Government's money we're
    talking about. It's your money. It's the people's money. And the
    Congress

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    did the right thing in passing back the people's money. And in so doing
    and reducing individual rates, we also provided impetus for growth in
    the small-business sector of America. After all, most small businesses
    are sole proprietorships or Subchapter S corporations, which means they
    pay tax at the individual income-tax rate.
        And when you reduce all rates on people who pay taxes, you're
    providing capital infusion into the small-business sector of America.
    And when you couple that with the--increasing the amount of money that
    can be deducted for capital expenditures in the year of expenses from
    $25,000 to $100,000, there is tremendous incentive for small-business
    growth. And that's vital, because 75 percent of new jobs are created by
    the small businesses of America.
        And the bill I signed is going to be positive for job growth. And
    that's the whole focus of the legislation, is how do we create the
    number of jobs around our country so people can find work. And if one of
    those jobs are created, we must have a system which trains people for
    the jobs which actually exist. We invest $15 billion each year on job
    training and employment services, which Americans can now access through
    the more than 1,900 One-Stop Career Centers around the country. And
    that's positive. That's a consumer-oriented system where we take the
    opportunities to people in 1,900 different places for people to go and
    get help. People can check job listings there. They can get help to
    prepare a resume. And equally important, they can sign up for job
    training programs.
        And we're taking other measures to improve people's chances of
    finding work. First, we're working to train Americans for jobs that
    exist--I've said that twice. That's not the way it used to be. It used
    to be, ``Are you training people?'' And it didn't matter what you were
    training people for; the question was, ``Are you training people?'' Now
    we're asking the question, ``Are you training people for jobs that
    exist, so we can actually help the people we're trying to help?''
        In this current economy, in spite of slow times, there are
    industries such as health care and high technology manufacturing that
    are looking for well-trained employees. That's a fact. The Department of
    Labor has got a program called High-Growth Job Training Initiative. What
    that means is we're forming partnerships with businesses to train
    unemployed workers in the skills that are in demand.
        Connie Mitchell is a person who is
    involved in one such program. As I mentioned to you, she lost her job.
    She was at Dulles Airport. And this year she applied to a job training
    program funded by the Hospital Corporation of America, which is working
    in concert with the Department of Labor. If anybody here is from HCA, I
    want to thank you for being a good corporate citizen in America. I know
    you're working in your self-interests to find people to fill the slots
    you're looking for, but it's also helpful to team up with the Department
    of Labor to provide a partnership to help people find work--you're
    pointing at that; thank you.
        The program is paying for Connie's
    classes at Northern Virginia Community College. She will have a job with
    HCA when she graduates with her nursing degree. And she said she will
    have a career with really good training and a really good income. And
    that's important. We want Connies all across the country to have the
    same experience that she has had.
        The administration is combining Federal resources with private
    funding to support these kinds of job training partnerships, and we
    intend to expand them into new areas. Right now, Secretary Chao is
    developing partnerships with companies in biotechnology and information
    technology. And these industries are growing rapidly, and as they do so,
    they need well-trained workers. And that's our mission, is to help more
    Americans to get the training necessary to qualify for the new jobs.

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        The second way we're helping people build careers is to direct aid
    for education at schools like this school right here. Community colleges
    make it possible for people to brush up on skills or to develop new
    skills. I mean, this is a place where you can get--can take your talents
    and convert them to meet the jobs of the 21st century. And so,
    therefore, helping students attend community colleges like Northern
    Virginia Community College is good for the students; it's good for the
    colleges; and it's good for the economy.
        More than 1.8 million community college students rely on Pell Grants
    to help pay for their education and training. Pell Grants are very
    important for the future of this country. And therefore, I have asked
    for more than $12.7 billion of Pell Grants in--for the '04 budget. This
    is a 45-percent increase in funding since I took office. I've asked for
    that increase so more benefit--students can benefit from the
    opportunities made possible by Pell Grants.
        Third, I'm asking Congress to establish what we call Personal
    Reemployment Accounts for unemployed Americans. Americans who face the
    greatest difficulty finding work under this vision will receive up to
    $3,000 to use in their job search. Different workers have different
    needs, so the concept is to provide flexibility to help those workers
    meet those needs. A person will be able to use the account for job
    training or for child care or for transportation or money to help
    relocate to a city where there is a job. If a worker finds a new job
    quickly, within 3-week--13-week period, he or she will be able to keep
    the balance in the account as a reemployment bonus.
        The idea is to empower the person, not the system. The idea is to
    focus money on each individual and to give that individual the
    opportunity to use additional monies to help meet needs.
        Yvonne Golden, who I just talked about, is
    a person who could have benefitted from such a program. She had 20 years
    of experience in banking and accounting. She wanted to get extra
    training quickly to qualify for additional jobs. She knew what she
    wanted to do, yet she had to wait a long time. The Personal Reemployment
    Account would have given her monies to meet certain needs in order to
    get into the job market a lot quicker, in order to get the training
    necessary to achieve her dream, which was to work and to get her own
    business going.
        Now, these accounts are important accounts. I hope Congress takes
    them up soon. It is a way to help those who are supposedly tough to
    employ develop the skills necessary and to give them the flexibility
    necessary to meet their dreams.
        The idea of trusting people and giving people flexibility to become
    better prepared for a--in a complex society makes eminent sense. That's
    why I've asked Congress to provide $3.6 billion for this initiative. The
    money would go to the States, and the States would be able to set the
    criteria for those who could qualify. And we believe that more than a
    million unemployed men and women across America would be helped by this
    amount of money. Congress needs to pass the proposal right away, because
    we've got people looking for work who need help.
        The other thing is that Elaine and I are
    working with Congress to make sure that the monies we actually spend are
    used effectively. Right now the Federal Government funds adult
    employment and training programs through three different sources, all of
    which have got different rules and regulations. These funding sources
    ought to be streamlined into one source and one set of rules and
    regulations. And the States ought to be given flexibility to expand
    services for people looking for work.
        In other words, the system needs to be simplified and focused on the
    consumer, who happens to be the person we're trying to help find a job.
    A complex system makes it much harder for people to succeed. A

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    complex system makes it hard to get results, the results we want, which
    is an educated workforce, people educated to meet the needs of the 21st
    century.
        The House of Representatives--and Davis was
    very much involved in this--passed a bill that includes the reforms I'm
    talking about. And the Senate must act so that we can better get
    unemployed people back to work in America, so that we can make sure as
    our economy changes, the workforce changes with it.
        Technologies race through our economy, and as they do so, the
    workforce can become much more productive. But the problem is, is that
    unless there is a concerted, focused effort to help our citizens stay up
    with technological change, people will be left behind. And that's not
    what we want in America. We want an educated workforce to keep this
    country the most productive in the world. And with the right focus and
    the right policies out of the United States Congress, this is an
    objective that I'm confident we can achieve, because I believe this
    country can achieve everything--anything we set our mind to. I believe
    in the greatness of America. And our greatness is not just our military
    might. We're great at that, by the way, but that's not our greatness.
    Our greatness is the ability for the American people to rise to any
    challenge. That is our greatness.
        Look what we've been through. We've been through a terrorist attack
    and a national emergency; we've been through a recession; we've been
    through corporate scandals where CEOs forgot what it means to be a
    responsible citizen. People didn't tell the truth. They were not
    responsible to their shareholders and employees. They will be held to
    account for their irresponsible behavior. And that was a shock to our
    system. We've been through war.
        And yet we're a strong nation and we're a confident nation, because
    we're a nation full of people who are hard-working and dedicated, people
    who love freedom, people who love our country, people who are
    responsible citizens.
        But most importantly, we're a nation that is made up of
    compassionate people who care deeply when one of us hurts. There's a lot
    of people in this Nation who want to help those who are looking for
    work. The Federal Government has a role. The people who are involved in
    education have a role. Employers have a role. But the thing that gives
    me most heart is that the nature of the American person--the American
    people is such that when we face a challenge, we will rise to that
    challenge on an individual basis and a collective basis.
        This is a fabulous country called America, and I'm proud to be your
    President. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:27 a.m. in the Ernst Community Cultural
    Center. In his remarks, he referred to Robert Templin, president,
    Northern Virginia Community College; and former President Saddam Hussein
    of Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.