[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 40 (Monday, October 8, 2001)]
[Pages 1404-1406]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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

October 2, 2001

    The President. I want to thank the leaders of the Congress for 
coming down for breakfast this morning. We had a really good discussion, 
starting with the progress we're making on the war against terrorism. I 
briefed the Members about the fact that we're beginning to make progress 
in freezing assets--freezing assets of the Al Qaida organization. I also 
talked about that the net we're casting is wide and strong, that we've 
put together an international coalition that is impressive, and that the 
members of that coalition are staying steady.
    It is my desire to make sure that as this war unfolds, that the 
leaders of both the Senate and the House are fully informed of what the 
Government is doing. I can't think of a better way to conduct foreign 
policy than to consult regularly with the leadership.
    We also talked about airport security. I told the Members that I'm 
going to be going to Reagan Airport today to announce its opening, and 
that we need to work together to make sure that the package that's 
evolving in the House and the Senate is put together pretty quickly.
    We talked about economic stimulus. There is agreement that we've got 
to come together with a vision about how big the package ought to be, to 
make sure that we affect the economy in the short run in a positive way, 
but don't affect it in the long run in a negative way.
    We agree on principles, that we've got to make sure that demand for 
U.S. products stays strong, demand for products throughout our economy 
stays strong. Therefore, we talked about ways to stimulate demand. We 
understand that investment has fallen off in the corporate sector, and 
we talked about constructive ways to stimulate investments so that the 
manufacturing sector, for example, of the United States has got some 
added wind in order to grow, to make sure that people find work. We 
talked about worker displacement. And we had a good discussion.
    And there's one thing that the American people must understand: that 
as we work through these important subjects, we will do so in a spirit 
of cooperation and consultation.
    And finally, all of us want to get a budget done as quickly 
possible, get the appropriations process done. We're making very good 
progress on coming up with the size of the ultimate budget. And once 
that's decided, we pledged to work together to get the appropriations 
bills moving as quickly as possible. That would be a welcome relief from 
the old budget battles of the past.
    And I'm most pleased with the conversations we've had. I admired all 
four leaders prior to September 11th; I admire them even more after 
September 11th, because they're dedicated patriots, anxious to bring our 
Government together to make sure that we respond to the American people 
in a positive way.
    I'll answer a couple questions.

Situation in the Middle East/Taliban

    Q. Mr. President, is the time running out on the Taliban regime? Are 
you prepared, sir, to recognize a Palestinian state as a part of a 
broader Middle East peace process, itself?
    The President. Those are two questions, Major [Major Garrett, Cable 
News Network].
    Q. It's been a while since I've seen you.
    The President. Don't take it personally.
    Q. I never do, sir.
    The President. The idea of a Palestinian state has always been a 
part of a vision, so long as the right to Israel to exist is respected.
    But first things first, when it comes to the Middle East, and we've 
got to get to Mitchell, the Mitchell accord. Senator Mitchell put 
together a viable blueprint that most of the world agrees with as the 
necessary path to ultimately solving the problems of the Middle East. 
And we are working diligently with

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both sides to encourage the reduction of violence so that meaningful 
discussions can take place.
    Secondly, there is no timetable for the Taliban, just like there are 
no negotiations. I have said that the Taliban must turn over Al Qaida 
organization living within Afghanistan and must destroy the terrorist 
camps. And they must do so; otherwise, there will be a consequence. 
There are no negotiations; there's no calendar. We'll act on our time, 
and we'll do it in a manner that not only secures the United States as 
best as possible but makes the freedom in the world more likely to exist 
in the future.
    Q. Mr. President, to follow up on the Middle East, sir. Were you 
prepared to support the idea of a Palestinian state before the United 
Nations conference that was canceled?
    The President. Oh, I read all kinds of speculation about what this 
administration was or was not going to do. What I'm telling you is, is 
that we are fully committed to the Mitchell process. And we are fully 
committed to working with both sides to bring the level of terror down 
to an acceptable level for both. And I fully understand that progress is 
made in centimeters in the Middle East. And we believe we're making some 
progress.
    Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

National Economy

    Q. How big a stimulus package do you think is needed, sir, and what 
do you think is the best way to stimulate demand?
    The President. Well, the definition--a stimulus package big enough--
what is needed is big enough to get the economy moving in the short run 
but small enough so it doesn't affect long-term interest rates, for 
example. We are--all of us are listening to the voices of leading 
economists. We're all open for suggestions. The best way to stimulate 
demand is to give people some money, so they can spend it.

Domestic Reaction to September 11

    Q. Mr. President, out of this terror comes fear.
    The President. What? Out of what?
    Q. Out of this terror on September 11th comes fear. Many Americans 
are still gripped with this fear, and they're buying gas masks in 
exuberant numbers. And they're also looking to--for anthrax 
vaccinations. What do you say to those people? Is their fear warranted?
    The President. I say that America ought to be on alert, but we need 
to get back to business. That's why I'm opening up Reagan Airport. 
That's why we had Cabinet members get on commercial airlines over the 
weekend. The good news is, is that some of the load factors on American 
airlines looked like they increased over the weekend. Americans know 
their Government is doing everything they can to disrupt any terrorist 
activity that may occur. We're following every lead; we're interrogating 
every possible suspect. We're on full alert in America.
    But the good news is, Americans also realize that in order to fight 
terrorism, they're going to go about their lives in a normal way. And 
Americans are.

National Economy

    Q. Are we in a recession, sir?
    The President. Are we in a what?
    Q. Are we in a recession?
    The President. You let the number-crunchers tell us that. But 
there's no question our economy is hurt as a result of September 11th. 
And the leaders here understand that. These Members go back to their 
districts and hear the plight of families who have been laid off. I, of 
course, hear it all the time, as well. And we're going to do something 
about it. That's exactly what these discussions are about.
    In terms of how you call it, what the numbers look like, we've got 
statisticians who will be crunching the numbers and let us know exactly 
where we stand. But we don't need numbers to tell us people are hurting.

Note: The President spoke at 8:13 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to former Senator George J. Mitchell, 
chairman, Sharm al-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee.

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