[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 4 (Monday, January 28, 2002)]
[Pages 113-117]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to United States Mayors and County Officials

January 24, 2002

    Welcome to the White House. It's a privilege for me and for Tom to 
be with the country's most accountable elected officials--[laughter]--
the mayors, los alcaldes.
    We always used to say, you know, the government that's closest to 
the people is that which governs best. You know firsthand. You know what 
it's like to get the call to make sure the streets are paved or the 
garbage is picked up. You're what I call practical. [Laughter] The 
farther you get away from the local governments, we get a little 
theoretical. But there's nothing like being a mayor to be a problem-
solver.
    And as you know, we've got a new problem to solve here, and that's 
the security of our homeland. And I'm so pleased that you all are here 
to give me a chance to discuss how

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we're going to work together to solve this common national problem, 
which is the security of our people.
    It's your police forces, your emergency medical teams, your fire 
fighters who are responsible for the first response on any terrorist 
attack and are responsible for saving lives. I say ``terrorist attack'' 
because we're still under attack. They still want to come after us. 
These are evil people that are relentless in their desire to hurt those 
who love freedom. And since we're the bastion of freedom, the beacon of 
freedom, we're their target. And we're going to respond, and we're going 
to deal with it by working together.
    I want to thank--when you go back to your communities, you make sure 
that you thank your police chiefs and your fire chiefs and your 
emergency medical teams, not only on behalf of the President but the 
entire country. These good folks put their lives at risk; they work 
incredibly hard and long hours; and they deserve the praise and love of 
our Nation.
    There obviously is a role for the Federal Government, and I'll 
discuss parts of our homeland security strategy in a little bit. But in 
order to make sure that our homeland is secure for a long time, we as a 
nation must be patient enough and resolved enough to hunt down the 
killers and the terrorists wherever they try to hide and bring them to 
justice. And that's exactly what this country is going to do.
    I say ``patient enough'' because sometimes there is a certain sense 
of anxiety that creeps into the national dialog. Some folks are trying 
to rush the score card, I guess, is a way to put it. We've made huge 
progress in 4\1/2\ months. I mean, we've done a lot, thanks to a great 
military, by the way. And there's a lot of moms and dads and wives and 
husbands and children who also need to be thanked for their sacrifice.
    But in the first theater to rout out terror, we have done a lot. 
We've totally destroyed the government and routed out the government 
that thought they could hide the terrorists. You see, there used to be, 
I guess, a school of thought around the world that it's okay to hide a 
terrorist; you weren't considered a terrorist. We changed that. We said, 
``If you hide a terrorist, or you feed a terrorist, or you coddle a 
terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists, and we will hold you 
accountable,'' as the Taliban has found out.
    We have liberated people. I'm so proud of our military and this 
great Nation and our coalition--we've got a strong coalition--of going 
into Afghanistan and freeing women and children. It was a fantastic 
moment in United States history, to be able to liberate people that were 
so oppressed that they probably thought they had no future. And yet, we 
came. We came to achieve an objective--the objective was to hold a 
government accountable for harboring a terrorist--and, in so doing, 
became liberators. It's a proud moment for the country.
    And now we're chasing down people in the first theater who, on the 
one hand, are willing to commit others to suicide, and they themselves 
hide in caves. And they think they can hide, and they may be able to 
hide today, but we'll get them. We're going to get them running, and 
when they run, we'll bring them to justice.
    I'm plenty patient. I have no preconceived notion about how long 
this should take, and neither do the American people. What the American 
people expect is a determined, relentless effort. And that's exactly 
what we're going to--that's exactly how we're going to behave.
    And so while we're after them overseas, there's a lot to do at home. 
That's what I want to discuss today, that this is a two-front war. 
Overseas we're fighting, and at home we're fighting. We're fighting to 
share information--or working to share information to make sure that all 
law enforcement agencies are knitted up, that we do a better job of 
alerting people, giving people a heads-up that something might be going 
on in the neighborhood and please help.
    Our people are alert. The shoe man, the shoe bomber, Reid, he found 
out how alert Americans can be when he showed up on the airplane, and 
all of a sudden people noticed something was odd. And they turned him 
in, and now he's in prison. That's what we're doing. But there's more to 
do, and I want to discuss that with you today. We're counting on you, 
and I'm about to tell you

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that we're going to make resources available so that we can work 
together.
    I want to thank Tom for taking on a tough assignment. I appreciate 
you bringing one mayor who thought you did a good job as Governor. 
[Laughter] I'm really proud of Tom's efforts. He understands local 
government; he understands State Government. He believes in cooperative 
efforts. He's an open-minded fellow. I hope you've found that he's 
willing to listen, willing to listen to good ideas. He's not an it's-
got-to-be-invented-here guy. He believes that if there's a good idea, it 
doesn't matter who brought it up, Republican or Democrat; we'll put it 
in place. So I'm real proud of your efforts, Tom, and thanks for your 
hard work.
    Mel Martinez is here. He will have spent a lot of quality time with 
you all on housing issues. I appreciate your service, Mel. I appreciate 
your--[applause]. A man who worked with me a lot in Texas, who now runs 
FEMA, who is a--who has made sure the agency is responsive to 
emergencies, who will eventually, soon, play a big effort in making sure 
this national strategy for homeland defense is effected in a way that 
helps you do your job, and that's Joe Allbaugh. Thank you for coming.
    I appreciate all the county officials, all the city officials, all 
who helped make sure that we work together in good fashion. I 
particularly want to thank the head of the mayors. I am a little 
disappointed in Mayor Morial. I went down to Antoine's the other day in 
New Orleans to eat a meal. I was hoping I could invite him and he would 
pay. [Laughter] But the intelligence-gathering system in New Orleans 
works well, so he went to Mexico. [Laughter] But nevertheless, Mr. 
Mayor, I appreciate your service. I love your town, and thanks for being 
here today, sir.
    I'm going to the Congress next Tuesday night to deliver a State of 
the Union Address, and I will lay out the priorities of our Government. 
You heard one of our first priorities: That's to fight and win this war.
    The second priority of our Government, a priority which will be 
reflected in my budget, is making sure we protect the people at home, 
homeland defense. And therefore, I'll be calling on Congress to pass a 
funding increase for homeland defense of 38--an additional $38 billion. 
This is double the pre-September 11th numbers. Thirty-eight billion is 
the total request--double over 2002. It's the beginning of a homeland 
defense initiative which is going to last throughout my administration.
    It's the beginning of a cooperative effort. It shows and recognizes 
that in the first minutes or hours after an attack, are the most hopeful 
minutes for saving lives--first minutes, immediately. And therefore, 
we've got to understand and remember the important role of first-
responders. It became vivid, obviously, on September the 11th.
    One of the most poignant stories I remember is when some going into 
the danger wrote their Social Security numbers on their arms. It reminds 
all of us about how dangerous the job is and about how some are willing 
to sacrifice for others. We saw that firsthand throughout the September 
the 11th timeframe.
    We saw people drive an airplane into the ground to save others. I 
think America is now becoming to appreciate the definition of sacrifice, 
sacrifice for freedom, sacrifice for human life. That's something our 
first-responders have known for a long time, and it's important for 
America to recognize that contribution they make.
    And so, what we must do in the country is remember that the attacks 
on September the 11th were not just attacks on New York or the Pentagon, 
were attacks on all of America, and treat those attacks such. It is a 
national threat, and therefore, obviously, it's a Federal 
responsibility. And so the 2003 budget proposes $3.5 billion in Federal 
aid to State and local first-responders. That is a 1,000 percent 
increase over what our Government has spent. It's necessary money. It's 
part of the $38 billion budget I'm going to be asking for for homeland 
security. It's absolutely necessary that we spend the money and that we 
spend it correctly.
    And therefore, in order to make sure that there is a strategy, one 
that you understand, one that the Governors understand, one that the 
folks in Washington understand, I'm going to ask the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to be the lead agency on coordinating efforts with the 
local governments.

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    It is the right agency to choose. They understand local disaster and 
the local emergency. They understand--and have responded in the past, 
not only in this administration but in other administrations--the need 
to work closely with mayors to make sure that we effect good policy. 
Plus, I trust Allbaugh. I've seen him work before. He's a good man. It 
doesn't matter whether Daley calls him or whether a Texan calls him; 
he's going to answer the phone. [Laughter] He's not one of these 
political, partisan guys. He's here to serve the country for the right 
reason, and so this is the right way to go. And if you have any problem 
with him, call me. [Laughter]
    Part of our task is to recognize there's 36,000 local jurisdictions 
all around the country. And how do we make sure there are some 
standards? How do we make sure, you know, that the fire hydrant hookup 
works in one city and can go across the region and fit another city? How 
do we make sure information flows properly? How do we make sure there's 
mutual aid agreements in the neighborhoods? How do we make sure that the 
communications equipment and the rescue equipment is compatible not only 
within a State but nationwide?
    Those are the tasks ahead, and that's part of the challenge we face. 
But I'm confident that, if we work with you, we can meet the challenge. 
There's no question in my mind that given the right impetus and the 
right focus, the right communications, and the right money, we can make 
it work.
    We have no choice. We're all charged. We find ourself in a moment of 
history where we, as leaders, must respond. And we will--and we will 
respond. It is--sometimes you get to pick your moments, and sometimes 
you don't. [Laughter] And we're here now in the middle of a war, and I 
want to thank you all for understanding the call. And we're not going to 
blink as a nation, and I know you won't blink as mayors. You accept your 
responsibility, and I accept mine. And as a result of working together, 
the Nation will be better off. We've got a lot of work to do, but that's 
how I got elected. And it starts with cooperation, and I can assure you, 
this Government is willing to cooperate.
    I also understand a good homeland defense means our cities are 
vibrant and strong. I want to work with you on brownfields legislation--
on implementing brownfields. I signed legislation; now it's time to get 
after it. And it's going to help the cities around America that we clean 
up the brownfields. I want to thank the Republicans and Democrats up 
here who worked on this initiative. We finally got something passed that 
will enable cities to revitalize tracts of land that had been abandoned, 
that now can be productive parts of your property tax base.
    I want to work with you to support homeownership for low income 
Americans. I love the idea of somebody owning something, somebody owning 
their own home. I can't think of anything more powerful to help 
revitalize neighborhoods than to encourage homeownership. And we'll work 
with you on that.
    I want to work with you to strengthen the community-based drug 
prevention and effective drug treatment programs. I believe that the 
best--I know we've got to do a better job of suppressing demand for 
drugs. But I also understand that the most effective programs are 
community-based programs. You've seen them. You've helped make them 
vital in your communities, and we want to work with you to do just that.
    I have not given up on my Faith-Based Initiative. Many of you 
understand the power of faith-based programs in your communities, church 
programs, programs out of synagogues and mosques. I believe so strongly 
in the power of faith. I believe strongly that we must unleash the 
armies of compassion in every city in America to provide hope for people 
where hope doesn't exist. And I want to work with you to do just that. I 
think we can get a bill out of Congress.
    I bring up matters of the spirit because the enemy doesn't 
understand who they hit. They first thought they were hitting somebody, 
a nation which was soft, a nation which wouldn't--oh, we might respond, 
but we wouldn't mean it. It would be kind of a slap-on-the-wrist 
response. They didn't understand that when you attack America and you 
murder innocent people, we're coming after you with full force and fury 
of a great nation and our allies.

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    They didn't understand our fiber, our character, our values. And 
that's one of the interesting developments in our country, is that 
people, as you know better than me, have said, ``We better assess our 
values as a result of what went on.'' And people all across the country 
are doing just that. It's a moment that we must seize. Those of us in 
leadership position must understand that there are a lot of Americans 
who are asking what they can do to help. I like to put it in as plain 
terms as I can: If you want to fight evil, do some good.
    If you want to show the world that we're not going to stand evil, 
let's make sure we love somebody, mentor a child. Let's get involved in 
the school systems in our local communities. Let's rally around those 
who want to help a neighbor in need. Let's seize the moment, seize the 
initiative, seize the chance to rally the armies of compassion, so that 
people feel love and decency in their lives, so that shut-ins know 
somebody cares, so lonely children who may have a parent in prison know 
somebody loves them.
    This is the opportunity. I look forward to working with you to rally 
the country, to not only not let--to not only fight evil but to stamp in 
place a compassion, a decency, and a goodness that will stand the test 
of time. It's a challenge we face, and I know it's a challenge we can 
meet.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Director of Homeland Security Tom 
Ridge; Richard C. Reid, a passenger on American Airlines Flight AA63 who 
allegedly tried to ignite an explosive device in his shoe while en route 
from Paris to Miami on December 22, 2001; Mayor Marc H. Morial of New 
Orleans, LA; and Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago, IL.