    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 31 (Monday, August 6, 2007)]
    [Pages 1038-1039]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting

    August 2, 2007

        Good morning. I just had a--I finished a Cabinet meeting. One of the
    things we discussed was the terrible situation there in Minneapolis. We
    talked about the fact that the bridge collapsed, and that we in the
    Federal Government must respond, and respond robustly, to help the
    people there not only recover but to make sure that lifeline of
    activity, that bridge gets rebuilt as quickly as possible.
        To that end, Secretary Peters is in Minneapolis as well as Federal
    Highway Administrator Capka. I spoke to Governor Pawlenty and Mayor
    Rybak this morning. I told them that the Secretary would be there. I
    told them we would help with rescue efforts, but I also told them how
    much we are in prayer for those who suffered. And I thank our fellow--my
    fellow citizens for holding up those who are suffering right now in
    prayer.
        We also talked about--in the Cabinet meeting--talked about the
    status of important pieces of legislation before the Congress. We spent
    a fair amount of time talking about the fact that how disappointed we
    are that Congress hasn't sent any spending bills to my desk. By the end
    of this week, Members are going to be leaving for their month-long
    August recess. And by the time they will return, there will be less than
    a month before the end of the fiscal year on September the 30th, and yet
    they haven't passed 1 of the 12 spending bills that they're required to
    pass. If Congress doesn't pass the spending bills by the end of the
    fiscal year, Cabinet Secretaries report that their Departments may be
    unable to move forward with urgent priorities for our country.
        This just doesn't have to be this way. The Democrats won last year's
    election fair and square, and now they control the calendar for bringing
    up bills in Congress. They need to pass each of these spending bills
    individually, on time, and in a fiscally responsible way.
        The budget I've sent to Congress fully funds America's priorities.
    It increases discretionary spending by 6.9 percent. My Cabinet
    Secretaries assure me that this is adequate to meet the needs of our
    Nation.
        Unfortunately, Democratic leaders in Congress want to spend far
    more. Their budget calls for nearly $22 billion more in discretionary
    spending next year alone. These leaders have tried to downplay that
    figure. Yesterday one called this increase, and I quote, ``a very small
    difference'' from what I proposed. Only in Washington can $22 billion be
    called a very small difference. And that difference will keep getting
    bigger. Over the next 5 years, it will total nearly $205 billion in
    additional discretionary spending. That $205 billion averages out to
    about $112 million per day, $4.7 million per hour, $78,000 per minute.
        Put another way, that's about $1,300 in higher spending every second
    of every minute of every hour of every day of every year for the next 5
    years. That's a lot of money--even for career politicians in Washington.
    In fact, at that pace, Democrats in Congress would have spent an extra
    $300,000 since I began these remarks.
        There's only one way to pay for all this new Federal spending
    without running up the deficit, and that is to raise your taxes. A
    massive tax hike is the last thing the American people need. The plan I
    put forward would keep your taxes low and balance the

    [[Page 1039]]

    budget within 5 years, and that is the right path for our country.
        I want to thank OMB Director Rob Portman for his hard work in
    developing this plan. This was Rob's last Cabinet meeting. Laura and I
    wish him and his family well. And I call on the Senate to confirm his
    successor, Jim Nussle, so we can work together to keep our Government
    running, to keep our economy growing, and to keep our Nation strong.
        Thank you for your time.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:54 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of Transportation Mary
    E. Peters; Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota; and Mayor R.T. Rybak of
    Minneapolis, MN. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
    Spanish language transcript of these remarks.