    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [September 25, 2008]
    [Page 1242]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Members of Congress
    September 25, 2008

        I want to thank the leaders of the House and the Senate for coming.
    I appreciate our Presidential
    candidates for being here as well.
        We are in a serious economic crisis in the country if we don't pass
    a piece of legislation. I want to thank the spirit of bipartisan
    cooperation that's taking place here in Washington. One thing the
    American people have to know is that all of us around the table take
    this issue very seriously, and we know we've got to get something done
    as quickly as possible. And this meeting is an attempt to move the
    process forward. My hope is that we can reach an agreement very shortly.
        I want to thank the Secretary of the Treasury for working hard with the Members. I thank the Members
    for working long hours like they've been doing to come up with a
    solution that's bipartisan and that will solve the problem.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:03 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Sen. Barack Obama, Democratic
    Presidential nominee; and Sen. John McCain, Republican Presidential
    nominee. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.