[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 45 (Monday, November 12, 2001)]
[Pages 1613-1614]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks During a Tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
and an Exchange With Reporters in Atlanta, Georgia

November 8, 2001

    The President. You know, a lot of Americans never heard of the CDC. 
They're wondering what CDC means. And they have learned that the folks 
who work at CDC are part of a vast army to fight off the terrorist 
attacks in America. And I'm so fortunate to be able to come by and say 
hello to the people that are working endless hours to provide good 
public health information, remedies, a quick response to people who have 
been affected by this evil attack.
    I believe--firmly believe that because of the good folks who work in 
this building and other buildings throughout Atlanta, Georgia, and 
throughout the country for CDC, that we've saved a lot of lives in 
America. And the very least I can do is come by and thank them for their 
hard work and their dedication to the country. So, for a group of folks 
that have made a difference in America, it's--and no one ever heard 
about, they're going to hear about--be heard about tonight. I'm going to 
talk about public health officials as part of being the new heroes of 
America. And that's why I've come by today, to thank them.

Resources for the Centers for Disease Control

    Q. Mr. President, what sort of--[inaudible]--does the CDC need now 
from the administration?
    The President. Well, one of the things that they need is for there 
to be an organization that allows for the free flow of information--that 
when the CDC finds something, gets information, they're able to pass it 
throughout our Government. And we're getting really well organized. The 
CDC's whole function is to help save lives, and the faster information 
can move, the more analysis can happen on a real-time basis, the more 
likely it is people will live.
    In terms of the CDC budget, one of the jobs of Tom Ridge, the new 
Homeland Security Director, is to collect information. And we'll present 
a budget to Congress. And if we need to present a supplemental, we'll do

[[Page 1614]]

so next year. But we're collecting all the information to make sure that 
our strategy is seamless and the budget reflects a seamless strategy.

Smallpox Vaccines

    Q. Mr. President, what's your take on the call for a universal 
application of smallpox vaccines for all Americans?
    The President. We're in the process of--I'm looking at different 
options for smallpox. One thing is for certain, we need to make sure 
vaccines are available if there were to ever be an outbreak.
    As to whether or not we ought to have mandatory vaccinations, I'm 
working with Tommy Thompson on that. One of my concerns is, if we were 
to have universal vaccination, some might lose their life. And I would 
be deeply concerned about a vaccination program that would cause people 
to lose their life. But I'm looking at all options, all possibilities, 
and we'll work with the smartest minds in America to develop the best 
strategies in how to deal with a potential smallpox attack.

Homeland Security

    Q. Mr. President, do you think the Postal Service should be bailed 
out? The Postmaster General is suggesting billions may be needed.
    The President. We are looking at all opportunities to spend money in 
our Government, and we're going to make sure that any supplemental that 
may or may not occur next year fits into an overall national strategy. I 
told the appropriators in Congress that we believe we've got ample money 
to make it through the holiday season and the beginning of next year, 
that the $40 billion that they appropriated in the supplemental is ample 
to meet our homeland security needs as well as our defense needs, and 
that before we spend more money, let's make sure we have a national 
strategy to deal with the homeland defense issue. And that's--the Postal 
Service is part of the homeland defense.
    So we'll look at all opportunities to spend money. But I urge 
Congress not to break the budget agreement that we signed off to in 
early October. And I remind them that the $40 billion of supplemental is 
enough to meet the Nation's needs. We have hardly even begun to spend 
the $40 billion that they presented. But we're listening to all 
requests.
    Thank you, everybody.
    Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
    The President. My pleasure.

Note: The President spoke at 5:25 p.m. in auditorium B of the CDC 
headquarters building. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of these remarks.