    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [December 13, 2003]
    [Pages 1717-1718]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    December 13, 2003

        Good morning. This week I was honored to sign the Medicare Act of
    2003, the greatest advance in health coverage for America's seniors
    since Medicare was founded nearly four decades ago. This new law will
    give seniors better choices and more control over their health care and
    provide a prescription drug benefit.
        Beginning in 2006, most seniors now without prescription coverage
    can expect to see their current drug bills cut roughly in half in
    exchange for a monthly premium

    [[Page 1718]]

    of about $35. And for the first time, seniors will have peace of mind
    that they will not face unlimited expenses for their Medicare.
        These and other major improvements in Medicare came about because
    Republicans and Democrats in Congress were willing to work together for
    the interests of our senior citizens. We were able to pass this law
    because we listened to the people, set the right priorities, and worked
    hard until we finished the job.
        The reform and modernization of Medicare was one milestone in a year
    of accomplishment. We worked with Congress to take action in a number of
    areas on behalf of the American people. Last May, the House and Senate
    passed my jobs-and-growth package into law, delivering substantial tax
    relief to 91 million Americans. We reduced taxes for everyone who pays
    income taxes, increased the child tax credit, cut the taxes on dividends
    and capital gains, and gave 23 million small-business owners incentives
    to invest for the future.
         And now we are seeing the results. In the third quarter, the
    economy grew at the fastest pace in almost 20 years. Productivity,
    manufacturing, and housing construction are expanding, and we have added
    over 300,000 jobs since August. The tax relief we passed is working, and
    our economy is gaining strength.
        Legislation passed this year also showed the compassion and the good
    heart of America. We created the American Dream Downpayment Fund to help
    low-income citizens afford the downpayment on homes of their own. We
    defended children from the violence of partial-birth abortion and passed
    new incentives to promote the adoption of children in foster care. And
    we acted to fight the global spread of AIDS by launching a multiyear
    emergency effort to prevent millions of new infections in Africa and the
    Caribbean and to provide medicine and humane care to millions more who
    suffer.
        This year we took important action to protect the environment. Our
    whole Nation saw the devastation left by wildfires in the West, and we
    passed healthy forest legislation to thin the underbrush that fuels
    catastrophic blazes.
        Our Government also took urgent action on every front in the war on
    terror. Congress appropriated more than $31 billion for the Department
    of Homeland Security to prepare first-responders and safeguard our ports
    and infrastructure and help scientists develop vaccines against
    dangerous biological threats. Our country stood behind the men and women
    of our Armed Forces as they liberated Iraq and helped carry out the work
    of reconstruction there and in Afghanistan. In Congress, members of both
    parties worked together to provide vital resources for our troops, who
    are fulfilling their responsibility to defend the Nation.
         All these actions have made us safer, more prosperous, and a better
    country. We confronted problems with determination and bipartisan
    spirit. Yet our work is not done. There will be pressing business in the
    new year on issues from job creation to health care to public schools.
    And above all, we will continue to fight the war on terror until the war
    is won.
        On behalf of all Americans, I thank the Congress for a productive
    year. Working together, we can add to this progress in the year to come.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10:35 a.m. on December 12 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on December
    13. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on December 12 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.