[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 17 (Monday, May 2, 2005)]
[Pages 663-664]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

April 23, 2005

    Good morning. My most solemn responsibility as Commander in Chief is 
to protect the American people. At this moment, our courageous men and 
women in uniform are serving in distant lands, risking their lives to 
ensure our security. We must give them all the resources they need to 
protect us from the threats of determined enemies and to prevail in the 
war on terror.
    I applaud the House and Senate for their strong support of my 
supplemental funding request for our troops serving on the frontlines. 
This funding will help provide the weapons, ammunition, spare parts, and 
equipment that our troops need to do their job. I urge Congress to come 
together to resolve their remaining differences and send me a bill 
quickly.
    As our service men and women make our Nation more secure, they're 
also helping to transform other nations that until recently knew only 
tyranny and despair. In Afghanistan, millions went to the polls after we 
helped liberate that country from the Taliban. In Iraq, the sacrifices 
made by our Armed Forces are helping Iraqis build a Government that 
answers to the people instead of the other way around.
    As Iraqis assume increasing responsibility for the stability of 
their country, Iraqi security forces are becoming more self-reliant and 
taking on greater responsibilities. Today, more than 150,000 Iraqi 
security forces have been trained and equipped, and for the first time, 
the Iraqi army, police, and security forces outnumber U.S. forces in 
Iraq. Like free people everywhere, Iraqis want to be defended and led by 
their own countrymen. We will help them achieve this objective, and then 
our troops will come home with the honor they have earned.
    As we fight the war on terror and spread freedom abroad, we continue 
to pursue pro-growth economic policies at home. Sustaining America's 
prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the Federal 
Government. That's why the 2006 budget I submitted to Congress holds the 
growth of discretionary spending to 2.1 percent, below the projected 
rate of inflation.
    Spending discipline requires difficult choices. Every Government 
program was created with good intentions, but not all are matching good 
intentions with good results. My 2006 budget eliminates or substantially 
reduces more than 150 Federal programs that are not succeeding, that are 
duplicating existing efforts, or that are not fulfilling an essential 
priority. The principle is simple: Taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely 
or not spent at all.
    Spending wisely means reducing wasteful spending that can threaten 
the viability of essential programs like Medicaid. We must end 
overpayment for prescription drugs by states and the Federal Government. 
We will work with States to ensure that Federal Medicaid dollars are 
spent properly and go to help those in need. And we must close loopholes 
that allow people who can afford to pay for their health care to shift 
the costs to Medicaid and drain resources needed to provide health care 
for the poorest Americans.
    The savings in my budget are critical in helping us to keep our 
economy growing and creating jobs. Now Members of Congress need to come 
together and send me a budget that funds our priorities, ensures that 
taxes stay low, and keeps us on track to cut the deficit in half by 
2009.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:52 a.m. on April 22 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 23. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
April 22 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
this address.

[[Page 664]]