[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 5 (Monday, February 7, 2000)]
[Pages 202-204]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Congressional Leaders and an Exchange 
With Reporters

February 1, 2000

Legislative Agenda

    The President. Let me say I am delighted to have the congressional 
leadership here today--a good day for them to come, because today all of 
us as Americans celebrate the month where we mark the longest economic 
expansion in the history of the United States. It's an expansion that 
was earned by the American people through hard work, high technology, 
open markets, fiscal discipline, and one that I think we can all be 
justifiably proud of, but we ought to be determined to continue to 
deepen, to improve.
    I also am looking forward to working in what will be a fast-paced 
congressional year, because of all the other things that are going on 
this year. But I think if we work together, we can get a lot done. And I 
am hoping that among other things, that the areas where there's already 
been some expressed interest

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in working together, like continuing to pay down the debt, working on 
bringing economic opportunities to our new markets, saving Social 
Security, that these things will see some real progress.
    As all of you know, we have some unfinished business that I'd like 
to see dealt with. I hope we can allocate the interest savings from debt 
reduction to lengthen the life of Social Security. I hope we can reach 
agreement on a Medicare reform package which includes prescription 
drugs, but also some reforms. I hope we can pass a Patients' Bill of 
Rights, and see some action on the gun legislation and the minimum wage 
and a few other things.
    But I think we can really get some things done. And I just want to 
say to all of you, I am committed to working with you in looking for 
positive avenues to cooperate, and I think we'll find some.
    Mr. Speaker.
    Q. Mr. President----
    Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. Oh, I think there's----
    The President. We'll let them speak, and then we'll take your 
questions.

[At this point, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Senator Trent Lott, Senator 
Thomas A. Daschle, and Representative Richard A. Gephardt made brief 
remarks.]

    The President. Thank you.

Gun Control Legislation

    Q. Mr. President, no one mentioned gun control--30,000 people are 
killed every year by guns----
    The President. I think I did mention that.
    Q. ----and even the safety locks on children. What is this, that you 
can't get this through?
    The President. Well, I'm not sure we can't. It passed the Senate, 
and we've got it in the House, and I hope we can pass it. You can ask 
the House leaders more about that. But I intend--I think I mentioned it. 
If I didn't, I certainly meant to mention it in my opening remarks. And 
I intend to work hard to try to pass it.
    Senator Lott. The juvenile justice bill is actually in conference 
between the House and Senate. And some of those provisions will at least 
be a part of the consideration of that legislation.
    Q. Are you predicting it will pass?
    Senator Lott. Oh, no, I'm not predicting. I'm stating----
    Q. Why not? [Laughter]
    Senator Lott. Because it hasn't been completed yet. But it is in 
conference, and the conferees will be working on it.

Alaska Airlines Flight 261

    Q. Do you have any comment on the Alaska Airlines crash in 
California?
    The President. Well, it's a terrible, tragic thing, of course. But 
you know, we have a real--well established procedure here for how these 
tragedies are handled, through the established authorities. And I think 
before I make any substantive comment, we have to let them do their job.
    But it was a very sad thing. And I, like most Americans, I suppose, 
I was watching it on television, and the helicopters were out there soon 
after the tragedy occurred. It's a very sad thing.

Northern Ireland Peace Process

    Q. Mr. President, you talked to Tony Blair about the difficulties in 
carrying out the Good Friday accord. Could you describe what you two 
said, and what you think the U.S. can do? And secondly, what has India 
done to convince you to travel there, despite its lack of progress on 
nuclear proliferation?
    The President. Well, let me answer the first question. I spoke to 
Tony Blair; I spoke to Gerry Adams. We've been in constant contact with 
the Irish and the British Governments, and I had a good meeting with 
David Trimble a few days ago.
    The thing is at such a point now that I think that any public 
comments I make on the merits at this moment might do more harm than 
good. We are heavily involved in trying to get the Good Friday accords 
implemented and get the present process supported. It's working great; 
these joint institutions are working well. New investment is going into 
Northern Ireland. The people have voted for a peace process that united 
people with differences, believe it or not, more profound than the ones 
that are represented around this table. And it's working.

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And it would be a tragedy if it were derailed. But in order to keep it 
going, everybody's going to have to honor the terms of the agreement. 
And so we're working on that now, and I think that's all I should say 
now.

India-U.S. Relations

    Q. And on India?
    The President. I'm going because it's the biggest democracy in the 
world, and I think we haven't been working with them enough. Just as I 
believe we have to engage China that has a political system very 
different from ours, we have to engage India that makes decisions 
sometimes we don't agree with, but is a great democracy that has 
preserved their democracy, I must say, against enormous odds. And we 
have an enormous common interest in shaping the future with them, and 
I'm looking forward to it.
    I think it's unfortunate that the United States has been estranged, 
or if not estranged, at least it's had a distant relationship with the 
Indians for too long.

New Hampshire Primaries

    Q. Who's going to win the primaries?
    Q. What about the primary? What would you tell New Hampshire voters 
today?
    Q. Any predictions?
    The President. I don't need to tell them anything, because one of 
the things about New Hampshire voters is, they all make up their own 
mind after an exhaustive inquiry. If there's any place in the world 
where people are actually well prepared to make their own decisions, 
it's there.
    It's a wonderful place, you know. Of course, I love it. They've been 
very good to me. But it's a great system. I know some people say, well, 
it's not totally representative of the rest of the country. But, you 
know, I think people running for office--the Speaker and I were talking 
about this at the beginning--people running for offices like ours that 
have millions and millions of constituents shouldn't be able to get 
there just over, with all respect, television and the mass media. They 
ought to have to go out and sit down with people in their homes, in 
their coffee shops, in their places of business, and let them ask 
questions and talk to them, and be sized up.
    I think it is a great exercise. And I've enjoyed watching it unfold 
for the first time in three elections where I'm not involved. But it's 
really been quite wonderful.
    Q. Who's going to win? [Laughter]
    The President. They'll decide that tonight.
    Q. Did you talk to the Vice President? Did you talk to the Vice 
President?
    The President. I haven't talked to him in the last 48 hours. But I 
talk to him, you know, frequently. I haven't talked to him in the last 
48 hours. But I've talked to others associated with the campaign. 
They're all up there working hard. That's all you can do up there. 
Nobody knows how the people of New Hampshire are going to vote. You've 
just got to go up there and work your heart out and hope it comes out.

Note: The President spoke at 10:44 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom; Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams; and Ulster Unionist Party 
leader David Trimble. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of this exchange.