    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [January 26, 2008]
    [Pages 112-113]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    January 26, 2008

        Good morning. On Monday night, I will address the American people
    about the state of our Union. I will report that over the last 7 years,
    we've made great progress on important issues at home and abroad. I will
    also report that we have unfinished business before us and we must work
    together to get it done.
        In my speech, I will lay out a full plate of issues for Congress to
    address in the year ahead. Two of these issues require immediate
    attention.
        First is the economy. I know many of you are worried about the risk
    of an economic downturn because of the instability in the housing and
    financial markets. You should know that while economic growth has slowed
    in recent months, the foundation for long-term growth remains solid. And
    I believe that with swift action, we can give our economy the boost it
    needs to continue expanding and creating new jobs for our citizens.
        On Thursday, my administration reached a bipartisan agreement with
    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader
    John Boehner on an economic growth package.
    This package will deliver direct tax relief to hard-working Americans.
    It will also include incentives for businesses--including small
    businesses--to make new investments this year. I ask the House and
    Senate to enact this package into law as soon as possible. And while I
    understand the desire to add provisions from both the left and the
    right, it would be a mistake to undermine this important bipartisan
    agreement. By working together, we can provide our economy with a shot
    in the arm when we need it most.
        The other urgent issue before Congress is a matter of national
    security. Congress

    [[Page 113]]

    needs to provide our intelligence professionals with the tools and
    flexibility they need to protect America from attack. In August,
    Congress passed a bill that strengthened our ability to monitor
    terrorist communications. The problem is that Congress set this law to
    expire on February 1st. That is next Friday. If this law expires, it
    will become harder to figure out what our enemies are doing to
    infiltrate our country, harder for us to uncover terrorist plots, and
    harder to prevent attacks on the American people.
        Congress is now considering a bipartisan bill that will allow our
    professionals to maintain the vital flow of intelligence on terrorist
    threats. It would protect the freedoms of Americans while making sure we
    do not extend those same protections to terrorists overseas. It would
    provide liability protection to companies now facing billion-dollar
    lawsuits because they are believed to have assisted in efforts to defend
    our Nation following the 9/11 attacks. I call on Congress to pass this
    legislation quickly. We need to know who our enemies are and what they
    are plotting. And we cannot afford to wait until after an attack to put
    the pieces together.
        When I go before Congress on Monday, I will speak more about how we
    can keep our economy strong and our people safe. I am confident that we
    can work together to meet our responsibilities in these areas and leave
    our children a stronger and more prosperous America.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on January 25 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 26. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    January 25, but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The
    Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.