[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 1 (Monday, January 7, 2002)]
[Pages 1-2]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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The President's Radio Address

December 29, 2001

    Good morning. Two thousand and one has been a year that Americans 
will always remember. We suffered great loss, and we found a new unity. 
We were attacked, and we responded swiftly. We have seen the strength of 
America in countless acts of kindness, compassion, and courage.
    This year ends with progress on the battlefield and accomplishment 
at home. The men and women of our military have successfully fought a 
new kind of war. They applied new tactics and new technology to rout a 
new kind of enemy. The lessons we learn in Afghanistan will guide our 
military to the future and make our country stronger and more secure.
    On the homefront, we're strengthening our defenses against terrorist 
attack while upholding our constitutional liberties. Our airways are 
more secure, and we are standing on alert.
    And here in Washington, we have built a record of achievement. We've 
set out clear priorities of tax relief and education reform, and we 
achieved them.
    Strengthening a troubled economy was one of my first priorities, so 
we passed the biggest tax reduction in a generation. And on January 1st, 
the next round of tax relief takes effect. As of January 1st, the 
marginal tax rate for moderate-income taxpayers falls to 10 percent. Tax 
credits to encourage businesses to provide daycare will expand, and the 
adoption tax credit will increase to $10,000.
    Yet, we cannot stop here. I was disappointed by the failure of the 
Senate to act on my proposals to help laid-off workers and to stimulate 
job creation. I outlined these proposals in October, more than 800,000 
lost jobs ago. My ideas passed the House of Representatives, and, 
according to the Council of Economic Advisers, they could save 300,000 
endangered jobs, but the Senate would not schedule them for a vote. I 
hope that we can resolve in the new year to put politics aside and get 
the job done for the American people.
    Education was another top priority, and we passed the boldest reform 
of the Federal education program in nearly four decades. We raised 
standards, put a new emphasis on reading, protected local control, and 
made sure that our schools teach all of our children. These are real 
achievements, and we must do more.
    We must have quick action on other issues that passed the House of 
Representatives but languished in the Senate. I'm counting on the Senate 
to take up my proposals to assure America's energy independence, to 
stimulate our economy and create jobs, to adopt a solid Patients' Bill 
of Rights, to mobilize faith-based institutions for a new era of 
effective compassion, and to enhance our ability to negotiate favorable 
trade agreements for the United States.
    We have work to do to strengthen Social Security and put Medicare on 
sound footing for the future. Above all, this coming year will require 
our sustained commitment to the war against terrorism. We cannot know 
how long this struggle will last. But it can end only one way: in 
victory for America and the cause of freedom.
    We look back on 2001 with sadness and with pride. We must look 
forward with determination and with resolve.
    Thank you so much for listening, and Happy New Year to you all.

Note: The address was recorded at 11:30 a.m. on December 28 at the Bush 
Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on December 29. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
December 28 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The 
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language version 
of this address.

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