[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 43 (Monday, October 29, 2007)]
[Pages 1416-1417]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Congressional Action on the Legislative Agenda

October 26, 2007

    Good morning. I went out to California yesterday to meet with 
families affected by the wildfires and to thank the State and local 
officials for their outstanding work in this difficult time. While I was 
there, I saw the terrible destruction and heartbreaking loss. Yet I was 
also encouraged by the spirit I found--the families determined to 
rebuild, the volunteers who stepped forward to help neighbors in need, 
and the first-responders who have shown such courage in battling the 
flames and caring for those who were displaced.
    I returned to Washington late last night. And when I got back to the 
White House, I was disappointed by what Congress had been doing and even 
more disappointed by what they had not been doing. This week, the 
majority in the House passed a new SCHIP bill that costs more over the 
next 5 years than the one I vetoed 3 weeks ago. It still moves millions 
of American children who now have private health insurance into 
Government-run health care. It raises taxes to pay for it. And it fails 
to do what needs to be done: to put poor children first.
    After I vetoed their last SCHIP bill, I designated members of my 
administration to work with Congress to find common ground. 
Congressional leaders never met with them. Instead, the House once again 
passed a bill that they knew would not become law. And incredibly 
enough, the Senate will take up the same bill next week, which wastes 
valuable time.
    As the House was debating SCHIP, the chairman of the Ways and Means 
Committee unveiled a massive tax package that raises taxes on more than 
a million small-business owners, among others. Earlier this week, 
Congress sent me a fiscally irresponsible

[[Page 1417]]

water resources bill. The House version came in at $15 billion. The 
Senate version came in at $14 billion. So the House and Senate 
compromised and sent me a bill that costs $23 billion. In Washington, 
they call that ``splitting the difference.''

    And today Congress set a record they should not be proud of. October 
the 26th is the latest date in 20 years that Congress has failed to get 
a single annual appropriations bill to the President's desk. And that's 
not the only thing congressional leaders have failed to get done.

    They have yet to make the Internet tax moratorium permanent or even 
extend it, even though this moratorium is set to expire in just a few 
days. The House and Senate have both passed temporary extensions but 
have not agreed on a final bill. I urge Congress to keep the Internet 
tax-free and to get a bill to my desk that I can sign.

    They have yet to move Judge Michael Mukasey's nomination to be 
Attorney General out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, even as Members 
complain about the lack of leadership at the Department of Justice.

    They have yet to act on our emergency war funding supplemental, even 
though our troops on the frontlines depend on these vital funds to fight 
our enemies and to keep us safe at home.

    This is not what congressional leaders promised when they took 
control of Congress earlier this year. In January, one congressional 
leader declared, and I quote: ``No longer can we waste time here in the 
Capitol, while families in America struggle to get ahead.'' He was 
right. With only a few weeks left on the legislative calendar, Congress 
needs to keep their promise to stop wasting time and get essential work 
done on behalf of the American people.

    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:32 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to H.R. 3963; H.R. 976; H.R. 
3970; and H.R. 1495.