[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 6 (Monday, February 10, 2003)]
[Pages 153-156]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Project BioShield in Bethesda, Maryland

February 3, 2003

    Thanks for that warm welcome. It's a delight to be here at the 
National Institutes of Health, a center of excellence, a center of the 
brilliance of the American people. It is a place where so many good 
people do work every day to help save lives, and we're thankful for 
that. America is really proud of what you do here. NIH is a great credit 
to America.
    Two days ago, America was yet reminded again of the sacrifices made 
in the name of scientific discovery. The seven brave men and women from 
the Columbia will be remembered for their achievements, their heroism, 
and their sense of wonder. Our prayers are with their families and their 
loved ones.
    Their 16-day mission held the promise of answering scientific 
problems that elude us here on Earth. Columbia carried in its payload* 
classroom experiments from some of our students in America. I hope these 
children, our future scientists, will continue to ask questions, 
continue to explore, continue to discover.
    * White House correction.
    And while we grieve the loss of these astronauts, the cause of which 
they died will continue; America's journey into space will go on. The 
spirit of modern science embodied in our space program can be found here 
at NIH, where each day you make enormous progress against disease and 
suffering--these achievements that come about through the great 
ingenuity and determination and the serious moral purpose of America's 
scientific community.
    Now our scientists have been called to meet a different kind of 
challenge, man's efforts to use diseases as weapons of war and terror. 
This threat has placed research scientists at the center of our mission 
to defend the American people. It has put NIH squarely in the midst of 
our war to defend America and to defeat international terrorism. With 
focus and determination and necessary resources, this Government will 
act before dangers are upon us.
    I want to thank Tommy Thompson for his leadership at the Department 
of Health and Human Services. And I want to thank my friend Tom Ridge 
for taking on the Department of Homeland Security, the new agency 
designed to coordinate Federal assets over State and local assets in 
order to protect--better protect America.
    I'm honored that Members of the United States Congress have joined 
us. Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts is with us--thank you, 
Senator Kennedy--and Chris Cox of California, Jim Turner of Texas, Chris 
Van Hollen of Maryland.
    I want to thank Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who is the Director of the 
Institute--the National Institutes of Health, for his fine, fine 
leadership of this really important institution. He really is doing a 
fine job. You know, when I picked him, I thought he would do okay. 
[Laughter] He's far exceeded my expectations. He's really, really a good 
man who is honoring our country with his leadership.
    Tony Fauci, of course, I've known him for a long time. He is a 
distinguished Director of the National Institute of Allergies and 
Infectious Diseases, one of the generals in the war against HIV/AIDS, 
for which we are really grateful, Tony, for your dedication. I want to 
thank--Mark McClellan is here with us, the Director of the Food and Drug 
Administration. I appreciate your leadership, Mark, on this incredibly 
important agency.
    Gary Nabel is with us. He is the Director of the Vaccine Research 
Center, who just took us on a really interesting tour. I asked him if 
this is the best in the world, and he said, ``You bet. Not only do we 
have the best equipment in the world, Mr. President, we've got the best 
people in the world working there.'' And I want to thank you for your 
leadership, Gary.

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    And I want to thank all of the hard-working employees from the 
National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, the 
Department of Health and Human Services and the new Department of 
Homeland Security who are here today. Thank you for your dedication to 
our country. Thank you for working long hours, that enable me to go out 
to the countryside and say to the American people there's a lot of good 
folks working long, hard hours to protect you, do the best we can do to 
make sure America is safe and secure.
    Today I sent to the United States Congress my budget for fiscal year 
2004. The budget keeps the fundamental commitments of our Government, 
including our commitments to be good stewards with taxpayers' money. I 
propose that discretionary Federal spending increase by no more than 4 
percent this year. That's about as much of family income is expected to 
grow. It seems like a reasonable benchmark for the Federal budget. 
Within that limit we can fund essential priorities at home and abroad, 
and meet the responsibility to show spending discipline in Washington, 
DC.
    The first responsibility of our Government is to defend our Nation. 
The attacks of September the 11th, 2001, awakened America to the dangers 
of a new era. We face a different kind of threat than we were used to. 
On that morning, we saw the face of an enemy that will use any means to 
strike America, no matter how much destruction it causes, no matter how 
many innocent lives were lost. The kind of men who would seize planes 
filled with innocent people and crash them into buildings would not 
hesitate to use biological or chemical or nuclear weapons. They wouldn't 
hesitate at all. They don't value life like we value life in America. 
They don't see every life as precious, like we see every life as 
precious in America.
    We have every reason to believe that terrorists and outlaw regimes 
would turn these weapons on the United States. We've been warned. On 
September the 11th, 2001, they clearly showed what they think about our 
country. And we will heed the lessons of 2001--September the 11th, 2001.
    We know that our enemies have been working to acquire weapons of 
mass destruction. That is a fact. If their ambitions were ever realized, 
they would set out to inflict catastrophic harm on the United States, 
with many times the casualties of September the 11th.
    So we're going to do everything in our power to protect the people 
and to prevent that day from ever happening. Across the world, we're 
making a determined effort with a lot of friends to round up terrorists 
wherever they hide, whatever cave they may be in, and bring them to 
justice. It doesn't matter how long it's going to take. One by one, we 
are going to dismantle their networks, so that America and our friends 
and allies are safe from harm.
    We're working with international authorities to track and control 
nuclear weapons. We seek to strengthen global agreements banning the 
production and shipment of missile technologies and weapons of mass 
destruction. We're working with others in the world to face the new 
threat.
    And in Iraq, where a brutal regime is arming to threaten the world--
the peace of the world, we have made our intentions very clear. If the 
dictator does not disarm, if he doesn't get rid of his weapons of mass 
destruction, then the United States will lead a coalition to disarm him. 
And we will do so in the name of peace, and we will do so for the 
security of the American people.
    Also, as we confront dangers abroad, we're taking unprecedented 
action to protect the homeland. We've stepped up security at our borders 
and ports, posted Federal screeners in airports, begun vaccinating 
troops and first-responders against smallpox. And we have stockpiled 
enough vaccine to inoculate the entire population.
    We are proposing billions of dollars to help first-responders and 
hospitals increase their effectiveness. The Congress needs to finish the 
appropriations process as soon as possible, so we can get that money to 
the local governments.
    We're putting in place a national system of air sensors to detect 
biological attack. These are responsible and essential measures to 
protect our homeland and our people. And in the years to come, we must 
broaden our defenses against the use of diseases as a weapon.

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    In my State of the Union Address, I asked Congress to approve a 
comprehensive plan for research and production of needed drugs and 
vaccines, a plan that we call Project BioShield. My budget requests 
almost $6 billion to quickly make available safer and more effective 
vaccines and treatments against agents like smallpox, anthrax, botulinum 
toxin, Ebola, and plague.
    We already have the knowledge and ability to manufacture some of the 
vaccines and drugs we need. Yet, we have had little reason to do so up 
until now, because the natural occurrence of these diseases in our 
country is so rare. But the world changed on September the 11th, 2001, 
and we've got to respond to that change.
    In light of the new threats, we must now develop and stockpile these 
vaccines and these treatments. Right now, America must go beyond our 
borders to find companies willing to make vaccines to combat biological 
weapons. Two main drug therapies used to treat anthrax are produced 
overseas. We must rebuild America's capacity to produce vaccines by 
committing the Federal Government to the purchase of medicines that 
combat bioterror.
    Under Project BioShield, the Government will have the spending 
authority to purchase these vaccines in huge amounts, sufficient to meet 
any emergency that may come. Project BioShield will give our scientific 
leaders greater authority and flexibility in decisions that may affect 
our security. Our labs will be able to hire the experts, get more 
funding quickly, and build the best facilities to accelerate urgently 
needed discoveries.
    We'll have a better and safer smallpox vaccine, antibodies to treat 
botox, sophisticated devices that can confirm a case of anthrax 
infection almost instantly. We will ensure that promising medicines are 
available for use in an emergency.
    Like other great scientific efforts, Project BioShield will have 
many applications beyond its immediate goals. As scientists work to 
defeat the weapons of bioterror, they will gain new insights into the 
workings of many other diseases. This will also break new ground in the 
search for treatments and cures for other illnesses. This could bring 
great benefits for all of humanity, especially in developing countries 
where infectious diseases often go uncontrolled.
    America's war on terror has tested this Nation, has tested our 
resolve, our will, our determination, and I'm confident that we can call 
upon our resources and strengths to prevail. There is no doubt in my 
mind, the men and women of our scientific community are among this 
country's greatest strengths. HIV/AIDS once meant only terrible 
suffering and certain death. Now in America, there are life-extending 
treatments for AIDS, treatments we are going to share across the world.
    This great and strong and mighty Nation will not only work to keep 
the peace, we will work to make sure society is a more compassionate 
place. We weep for those who suffer on the continent of Africa, and we 
intend to do something about it.
    Our scientists have made significant gains in curing some forms of 
cancer. And we're going to continue to work hard to make sure that we 
make progress to curing all of cancer.
    Illnesses that haunted other generations, such as polio and measles, 
are now part of the past because of the vision and ingenuity of the men 
and women who work here in NIH. This new century brings an urgent need 
to apply this vision and ingenuity to the defense of this Nation, and 
you are up for the task.
    I look forward to working with the United States Congress to get 
Project BioShield out of its committees, onto the floor, onto my desk, 
so you all can work on behalf of the American people, so you can use 
your God-given talents, your fantastic brains, your clear vision to 
better protect America. This is the right course of action. This is what 
we owe the American people. And this is what we will deliver.
    It is such an honor to be here, a place of healing and hope, a place 
of genius and vision. Again, I want to thank you all very much for your 
hard and tireless work, on behalf of a grateful nation.
    May God bless what you do, and may God continue to bless the United 
States of America.

Note: The President spoke at 2:05 p.m. at the Natcher Building at the 
National Institutes of Health. In his remarks, he referred to President 
Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The Office of the Press

[[Page 156]]

Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.