[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 45 (Monday, November 10, 2003)]
[Pages 1547-1549]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Signing the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for 
Defense and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, 2004

November 6, 2003

    Thank you all for coming. Good afternoon, and welcome to the White 
House. On September the 11th, 2001, America grieved for our losses, and 
we made a commitment. We determined to conduct the war against terror on 
the offensive. We determined to confront and undermine threats abroad 
before they arrive in our own cities.
    We're waging this war in relentless pursuit of the Al Qaida network. 
We're waging this war in Afghanistan against Taliban remnants and Al 
Qaida killers. We're waging this war in Iraq against Saddam loyalists 
and foreign terrorists who seek the return of tyranny and terror. We're 
pursuing long-term victory in this war by promoting democracy in the 
Middle East so that the nations of that region no longer breed hatred 
and terror.
    Today the United States is making a critical financial commitment to 
this global strategy to defeat terror. We're supporting our service men 
and women in the field of battle. We're supporting reconstruction and 
the emergence of democratic institutions in a vital area of the world.
    The American people accept these responsibilities now, in our time, 
so that we will not face far greater dangers in the future. With this 
act of Congress, no enemy or friend can doubt that America has the 
resources and the will to see this war through to victory.
    I want to thank our Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and Secretary 
of Defense, Don Rumsfeld, for their extraordinary leadership during 
these tough times. I appreciate Deputy Secretary Rich Armitage, Deputy 
Secretary Paul Wolfowitz for joining us today as well. Thank you all for 
coming.
    Josh Bolten, a member of my Cabinet, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget--the keeper of the money--is with us. Andrew 
Natsios, the Administrator of the USAID, is with us today. Andrew, thank 
you for coming. There he is, right there.
    I appreciate the leadership of the Congress being here today. 
Speaker Denny Hastert and Leader Bill Frist are with us. Thank you all 
for coming. Thank you for your strong leadership.
    I also want to pay a particular mention to Chairman Ted Stevens and 
Chairman Bill Young for doing a fabulous job on a very tough issue. 
Thank you very much.
    There are a lot of Members of the Senate and House with us. Thank 
you all for coming, for making a good, courageous vote. I particularly 
want to pay homage to Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for his leadership on 
the floor, Jerry Lewis from California, and Norm Dicks from Washington 
for supporting your chairman and getting this bill out.
    I want to thank the military and civilian staff members of the 
Coalition Provisional Authority who are with us. Thank you for serving 
our country. We appreciate the sacrifices you are making.
    Today, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the world sees a test of will and a 
clash of strategies. The strategy of our enemies, whether Al Qaida, 
Ba'athist, Taliban, or others, is to intimidate newly free men and women 
who are

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trying to establish democracy and to cause America and our allies to 
flee our responsibilities. Their goal is to halt and reverse all 
progress toward freedom in the Middle East, to reinstate permanently the 
rule of fear and oppression.
    The strategy of America and our allies is equally clear. We are 
employing targeted and decisive force against the killers. We're 
training and equipping Iraqis and Afghans to defend their own nations. 
We're helping the Iraqi and Afghan people build just and democratic 
governments. And we will meet our duties until the job is done.
    The terrorists and their supporters have had many setbacks in the 
last 2 years. They have lost many leaders, many training camps, and two 
countries, and we will not relent until they are fully and finally 
defeated.
    The legislation I'm about to sign commits $87 billion to America's 
global offensive against terror. More than $65 billion of these new 
funds will pay for ongoing military operations. We're supporting such 
basic military necessities as air, rail, and sea transportation for 
American and coalition troops to the theaters of action.
    We will purchase ammunition for our weapons and fuel and spare parts 
for airplanes and helicopters and vehicles. We will replace equipment 
lost or damaged in combat. We'll acquire vital new equipment, such as 
armored humvees and body armor and communications gear. Our service men 
and women are carrying out their missions with skill and honor, and they 
deserve the finest equipment and best weapons we can provide.
    This legislation contains needed funds to pay our soldiers, sailors, 
airmen, and marines, including the additional pay our forces receive for 
hazardous duty. We will also cover the salaries of National Guard and 
Reserve troops who have left jobs and homes and families in an hour of 
national need. The American Government will keep its responsibilities to 
all who risk their lives for America.
    This legislation also includes nearly $20 billion to help build 
stable democratic societies in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will help train 
and equip the growing number of Iraqis and Afghans who are fighting and 
dying to defend and secure their rights. We'll help to upgrade hospitals 
and schools and repair infrastructure and improve basic services, 
including water, electricity, and sanitation.
    Our investment in the future of Afghanistan and Iraq is the greatest 
commitment of its kind since the Marshall plan. By this action, we show 
the generous spirit of our country, and we serve the interest of our 
country, because our security is at stake. The Middle East region will 
either become a place of progress and peace, or it will remain a source 
of violence and terror. And we're determined to see the triumph of 
progress and the triumph of peace in that region. We will do all in our 
power to ensure that freedom finds a lasting home in Afghanistan and in 
Iraq.
    We know this will require patience and sacrifice. I just had the 
honor of meeting PFC Phillip Ramsey and SPC Alex Leonard, two brave 
Americans who were wounded in action. We thank you for your service.
    Recent attacks have shown once again the cruelty of the enemy. They 
don't care whose lives they take, men, women, or children. They're 
coldblooded. They're heartless. We're engaged in a massive and difficult 
undertaking, but America has done this kind of hard work before.
    After World War II, we made long-term commitments to the 
transformation of Germany and Japan so that those nations would not be 
sources of war but our partners in peace. That investment in peace has 
been repaid many times over. Now our generation will show the same 
perseverance and the same vision in the cause of peace.
    I appreciate the solid bipartisan support for this bill in the House 
and the Senate. I also appreciate that reconstruction funds for Iraq 
have been provided in the form of grants so that this struggling nation 
is not burdened with new debt at a moment of new hope.
    The establishment of a free Iraq and a free Afghanistan will be 
watershed events in the history of the Middle East, watershed events in 
the global democratic revolution that has already transformed Europe and 
Latin America and much of Africa and Asia. The resources we commit today 
will further advance the cause of freedom, thereby serving

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the cause of peace and enhancing the security of the American people.
    Now I'm pleased to sign into law the Iraq and Afghanistan 
supplemental appropriations bill.

Note: The President spoke at 1:12 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to former President Saddam Hussein of 
Iraq. H.R. 3289, approved November 5, was assigned Public Law No. 108-
106.