    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 6 (Monday, February 18, 2008)]
    [Pages 212-213]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Following a Meeting With Congressional Leaders

    February 15, 2008

        This morning I spoke to the president of Northern Illinois
    University. I told the president that a lot of folks today will be
    praying for the families of the victims and for the Northern Illinois
    University community. Obviously a tragic situation on that campus, and I
    ask our fellow citizens to offer their blessings, blessings of comfort
    and blessings of strength.
        We also just discussed a serious problem facing our country, and
    that is the fact that House leaders blocked a good piece of legislation
    that would give our intelligence community the tools they need to
    protect America from a terrorist attack.
        The American citizens must understand--clearly understand that there
    is still a threat on the homeland, there's still an enemy

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    which would like to do us harm, and that we've got to give our
    professionals the tools they need to be able to figure out what the
    enemy is up to so that we can stop it.
        The Senate passed a good bipartisan bill that makes sure our
    intelligence community has the tools necessary to protect America from
    this real threat. And I want to thank you all and thank the Democrats in
    the United States Senate who worked closely with Mitch and John to get a
    strong piece of legislation, with a 68-vote majority, out of the Senate.
        And this bill comes to the House of Representatives, and it was
    blocked. And by blocking this piece of legislation, our country is more
    in danger of an attack. By not giving the professionals the tools they
    need, it's going to be a lot harder to do the job we need to be able to
    defend America.
        People say, ``Oh, it doesn't matter if this law hasn't been
    renewed.'' It does matter; it matters for a variety of reasons. It
    matters because the intelligence officials won't have tools necessary to
    get as much information as we possibly can to protect you. And it
    matters because these telephone companies that work collaboratively with
    us to protect the American people are afraid they're going to get sued.
    And the American people have got to understand, these lawsuits make it
    harder for us to convince people to help protect you. And so by blocking
    this good piece of legislation, our professionals tell me that they
    don't have all the tools they need to do their job.
        And so now the House and Senate are off on a 12-day recess without
    getting the people's business done. And when they come back from that
    12-day recess, the House leaders must understand that the decision they
    made to block good legislation has made it harder for us to protect you,
    the American people, and we expect them to get a good bill to my desk--
    which is the Senate bill--as soon as possible.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:55 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to John G. Peters, president,
    Northern Illinois University. He also referred to H.R. 3773.