[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 15 (Monday, April 15, 2002)]
[Pages 611-614]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Proposed ``Charity Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment Act of 
2002''

April 11, 2002

    Elaine, thank you very much. I appreciate the job you're doing. And 
thanks for that kind introduction. I want to welcome you all here to the 
White House, the people's house.
    It's an honor to welcome those who have heeded a great call, to love 
your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. It's a 
universal call, and it's a call that has been applicable throughout 
history. It's really needed right now. And so I want to thank you for 
coming to help discuss a very important issue, an important piece of 
legislation, a part of making sure the future of our country is hopeful 
for everybody who lives here.
    Part of the reason you're here is so we can unleash your talents and 
energy on the Hill. [Laughter] And I appreciate your willingness to be 
practical in Washington, because there is a piece of legislation that I 
hope you work on. It's an urgent time for you to act, and I think it's 
going to help America. This really isn't about any political party, I 
want to assure you. It's a way to make sure America is as hopeful as we 
possibly can be.
    I want to thank all those who are here on stage with me, besides the 
Secretary of Labor. Thank you for coming. I appreciate you being 
soldiers in the armies of compassion.
    I want to thank Senator Santorum, who is the author of the 
legislation I'm going to talk about, and Senator Brownback from the 
State of Kansas for coming. As the author of the bill, I thought you 
might have gotten a better seat. [Laughter] Sam got your seat because he 
was on time. [Laughter] I'm still for your bill. [Laughter]

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    Both Senators are fine people and good Members. And I want to thank 
you all for coming.
    I appreciate Cardinal McCarrick for being here as well, my longtime 
friend. And I want to thank you all.
    I don't know if you've met my confidant, Jim Towey, who is here. He 
works in our Faith-Based Office. There he is. Hi, Jim. How are you? Jim 
is a remarkable soul who I was able to convince to leave the private 
sector to come and work. And if you've got any complaints about how 
charitable choice is working or suggestions about how to make it work 
better, he's available. His job is to work with the faith community to 
make America a better place. He was Mother Teresa's lawyer, worked for 
Democrats and Republicans. This is not a political guy, you'll be 
pleased to hear. And he'll do his job in a way that will make you proud.
    The events of September the 11th were an incredibly dark moment. But 
the thing I'm most proud about is, through the darkness, our character 
shined. This is really an unbelievable country we live in. It was heroes 
who risked their lives, and Americans responded with incredible 
generosity. I mean, our heart was united with those who lost their--
those whose families grieved. It was a remarkable moment, it really was. 
It was a test of our character. People prayed. All faiths were praying 
for our country. People grieved together. All the racial issues went 
away because we all realized we were Americans, with everything at 
stake--everything at stake.
    The organizations directly related to the relief efforts received $2 
billion during that quick period of time. The goodness of the country is 
overcoming the evil done to us.
    We're overcoming the evil done to us, as well, through military 
action. And we will take action. I want to assure you, we don't seek 
revenge; we seek justice. And I believe that if we're patient and 
resolved and united, that out of this evil will come lasting peace, 
peace in regions of the world that might appear now that cannot be 
peaceful. I believe we can achieve peace by being strong and to lead the 
world toward peace. Peace is the cornerstone of this Nation's foreign 
policy; it's what we aim for.
    It's going to be--there are going to be some tough moments achieving 
that peace. But you need to know that we're going to be plenty tough 
when we need to be tough. And we're going to stay focused on keeping our 
homeland safe, hunting down barbaric killers one by one. That's our 
call. History has called us into action, and we must and we will 
respond.
    But we need to do more than just make the world more secure. We need 
to make the world and our country a better place. In order to really 
battle evil, we must be more than just a military might. We must be a--
we must show our might through our compassion for our fellow citizens.
    I gave a speech in Monterrey, Mexico, the other day, talking about 
how this Nation will help in the development of nations who are poor and 
who suffer. I was proud to give that speech.
    At home, though, we also have got to recognize even though we're a 
rich and powerful nation, there are pockets of despair and hopelessness. 
There are too many people in America who wonder whether or not America 
is meant for them. And so part of our fight to make our country more 
secure must be one also to make the country a better place for all of 
us. And the place to start is understanding that the country can be 
changed one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
    One person can't do everything, but a person can do something to 
help somebody. And your jobs as social entrepreneurs and people deeply 
committed to our future is to gather that love and compassion which 
exists. And you're doing a great job of doing that, and I want to thank 
you.
    My job is to continue to address the spirit of the country, is to 
call upon the best, and I will do so. I will remind people, if they want 
to fight evil, they must do some good. And it's also to recognize 
problems when they exist and work to solve those problems, to eliminate 
the hurdles and barriers that prevent the neighborhood healers and 
helpers from doing their jobs.
    The past 7 months have shown how much our country depends on 
charities. Yet today, America's charities face very difficult times.

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It's ironic to me that in the immediate aftermath of September the 11th, 
we responded, and yet, there are too many charities hurting. Part of it 
is because of a recession; I recognize that. Part of it is that a lot of 
money has gone into those charities directly involved with the relief 
efforts. And that's good, but it's not good enough for the future of our 
country that many charities suffer today, and we're going to do 
something about it.
    If there is any doubt, let me just quote a few statistics to you to 
make my point. America's Second Harvest, the country's largest hunger 
relief charity, reports that more than 80 percent of its affiliates face 
increased demands for food, while 40 percent have seen a significant 
drop in food donations and funding. That's a problem.
    In Northern California, the United Way is facing an unprecedented 
fundraising shortfall for 2001. Giving was 14 percent below the year 
before. That's a problem. The group's leader said this: ``I don't think 
we've ever had a dropoff of this magnitude. It affects our ability to 
serve our community.'' And I agree.
    The United Way in Orlando was forced to lay off 17 percent of its 
staff in February because it fell significantly short of its fundraising 
goal. Many people in this room, many people whose sole purpose is to 
help an American in need, are confronting greater needs with fewer 
resources. And our Government must recognize the problem and deal with 
it in a constructive way.
    First, as I mentioned, my job is to call upon Americans to love a 
neighbor like they'd like to be loved themselves, to understand that 
being a citizen is more than just a spectator; it's a participant in 
your community. And I will continue to--I will continue to call upon 
Americans to serve. And I will continue to talk about the pockets of 
despair and hopelessness, so that it is clear to those who may be 
comfortable that they have a--there are some who aren't and we need 
their help.
    And I'm going to make sure that our Government passes legislation 
that does a couple of things: one, that encourages more private sector 
giving, that makes giving to the armies of compassion a more profitable 
venture for the individual by allowing the people to deduct from their 
income taxes all charitable gifts.
    The issue is for those who do not itemize. They don't get to deduct 
their gifts, and we ought to allow that. We ought to encourage giving by 
allowing the non-itemizers--listen, charitable giving is important for 
all of the people in our country, not just the wealthy. Everybody ought 
to be encouraged to give.
    What's called the ``CARE Act,'' the ``Charity Aid, Recovery, and 
Empowerment Act,'' sponsored by Rick Santorum and Joe Lieberman, have 
this as a part--as a core part of the bill. It is an important part of 
the legislation, and I urge you all to take your message to the Finance 
Committee in the United States Senate that has something to do with this 
type of legislation. [Laughter] I'm sure they'll respond.
    You probably know that the House is passing a good piece of 
legislation already. J.C. Watts and Tony Hall were the sponsors. It 
passed. And now, so the focus--that's why the focus is on the United 
States Senate.
    The ``CARE Act'' as well recognizes--oh, by the way, just so the 
people understand the extent of what we're talking about, 84 million 
Americans don't itemize and therefore don't have the opportunity to 
deduct. And we really believe--and I know you agree with me--that 
changing the tax laws to provide an incentive for the 84 million could 
and probably will substantially raise the amount of giving in America, 
which will be really helpful and hopeful and positive.
    The other thing the Federal Government must not do is worry about 
the role of faith-based programs in providing help to people in need. 
Let me put it a little more bluntly: The Federal Government should not 
not discriminate against faith. There must be a level playing field 
available. When we have Federal monies, people should be allowed to 
access that money without having to lose their mission or change their 
mission.
    We need to know that in our society, faith can move people in ways 
that Government can't. I mean, Government can write checks, but it can't 
put hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. 
That is done by people who have heard a call and who act on faith and 
are willing to share that faith. And I'm not talking about a particular

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religion. I'm talking about all religions under the Almighty God.
    And we should not fear those kind of programs: programs where 
someone's addiction may be more likely cured because of faith; programs 
that are willing to go into the prison systems--you know, programs that 
say, ``Well, stamping license plates is okay, but it may not change 
somebody's life for the better''; programs in which they surround a 
child with love because of faith and provide a blueprint based upon--a 
future based upon love for a child. That's what we ought to recognize 
happens.
    Listen, some of the greatest welfare programs in America are on the 
street corners of inner-city America in a house of worship. Some of the 
best places where lost souls find hope are in our synagogues. Mosques 
provide great hope for people who wonder whether America is meant for 
them. And our Government must recognize the power of these programs. 
These programs don't have giant bureaucracies and endless rules in which 
they become entangled. They keep their focus on their mission. They 
don't keep hours. [Laughter] They're open when needed.
    There's been some anticrime programs based upon faith, like Brother 
Rivers, out of Boston, Massachusetts, who has done a fantastic job.
    And so this act recognizes that part of the mosaic of aid and 
comfort in America comes from the faith community and that we shouldn't 
fear faith, we ought to welcome it in our society. I urge that the 
``CARE Act'' get passed out of the Senate by Memorial Day.
    I want to thank the neighborhood healers who are here. One of the 
things I brag about is the entrepreneurial spirit in America. But people 
have got to understand, the entrepreneurial spirit just doesn't pertain 
to starting a business. Our entrepreneurial spirit also pertains to 
helping people. And one of the great joys of being a candidate and 
eventually President is the opportunity to see these little programs 
that start up because somebody has heard a call. I mean, it's an 
unbelievable part of the fabric of our Nation. Somebody has heard the--
said, ``I think I'm going to take my energy and my talent into a 
neighborhood where nobody else has dared walk,'' and have changed 
people's lives.
    And it is amazing what happens, amazing what happens when you start 
off--Brother Lusk here started off with--I don't even think--well, it 
might have been a building; it looked like a building. [Laughter] But 
now he's got this magnificent place in inner-city Philadelphia, because 
he had a vision and a dream to make something happen.
    But it is the effect--and why I feel so strongly about this mission 
that we're all on is because when that one soul who decides to do 
something changes a heart, it is likely that heart that's been changed 
is willing to change another heart. And it's that effect that will have 
an incredibly profound effect on all of us.
    In order to fight evil, we must do good. It is the gathering 
momentum of millions of acts of kindness and compassion which define the 
true face of America, that shows what this country is truly made out of. 
On the one hand, we are strong and tough militarily, but on the other 
hand, that is--we are a nation that is compassionate and decent and 
caring. And no evil, no terrorist can extinguish that light.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 2:33 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, 
who introduced the President; Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of 
Washington; Rev. Eugene Rivers, pastor, Azusa Christian Community, and 
cofounder, Boston Ten Point Coalition; and Rev. Herbert Lusk II, pastor, 
Greater Exodus Baptist Church, and founder/president, People for People, 
Inc. The President also referred to S. 1924, the proposed ``Charity Aid, 
Recovery, and Empowerment Act of 2002'' and H.R. 7, the proposed 
``Community Solutions Act of 2001.''