pd05fe01 Remarks in a Meeting With Catholic Charities...

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Volume 37--Number 5
Pages 231-255
 
Week Ending Friday, February 2, 2001
 
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Republican Congressional Leaders and an 
Exchange With Reporters

January 30, 2001

Legislative Agenda

    The President. It's an honor for the Vice President and the 
Secretary of Treasury and myself, and OMB Director, to welcome the 
leadership in the House and the Senate on the Republican side. We've had 
a wide-ranging discussion; discussed tax relief and how we can pay down 
national debt and have tax relief, which all of us around this table 
firmly believe we can do.
    We also discussed the fact that there's a lot of Americans who have 
got a lot of consumer debt, and we must be mindful of those hard-working 
Americans. And part of the tax relief package is to allow people to 
better manage their own finances with their own money. We had a 
discussion about education.
    We discussed, particularly the leader and I and Members of the 
Senate, discussed the need to get our nominees through the Senate. And I 
hope, in the spirit of bipartisanship, there will be no further delays 
on the confirmation process for John Ashcroft and other nominees of 
ours. I certainly appreciate how fast the Senate worked, initially, but 
it's time for the delays to end. It's time for a vote on all our Cabinet 
officials.
    This is--will be a series of conversations we'll have throughout my 
tenure, and I really enjoy this. It's been a good, frank discussion.

Interest Rates/Tax Cut Legislation

    Q. Do you think the Fed should cut rates now, sort of stimulate the 
economy? And in the discussion of tax policy, there has been some 
disagreement between the White House and the Speaker and others over 
whether you should have one big package of tax cuts or to do it in 
pieces.
    The President. First, Mr. Greenspan needs to make his decisions, 
independent of what I think. I learned a pretty good lesson

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during the transition, and that was I had commented out loud about one 
of the actions he took. That's the last time I'm going to comment about 
the actions that Mr. Greenspan takes. He's an independent voice and 
needs to be an independent voice.
    Secondly, we did discuss the timing of the tax relief package and 
how best to move it through the House, where to originate. And as I told 
the Speaker and the chairman and the leadership, that we are interested 
in success, that the most important--most important--criterion for how 
the tax package is handled is whether or not it will succeed. And these 
are the Members who are going to have to work to get it out of the 
House. So we're listening to their strategy.
    Q. What is the best timing for presenting the tax proposal, sir?
    The President. Again, that's going to be up to the leadership. 
Obviously, it depends upon--it's the middle of our budget. As you 
noticed, the head of the budget committees are here; we're talking 
budget. Taxes must fit into a budget, which they will.
    The answer to any of our initiatives, of course, is, as soon as 
possible. [Laughter]

Earthquake Assistance to India

    Q. Mr. President?
    The President. Yes sir?
    Q. Good morning, sir.
    The President. How are you doing?
    Q. Good. Thank you.
    The President. I thought you had abandoned us for a while. 
[Laughter]
    Q. Are you happy with the progress you're making in reaching out to 
world leaders, or do you plan to change the pace of that at all?
    The President. I've got a steady pace. I'm calling as I can. I 
talked to the Prime Minister of India today. It was a phone call that I 
was going to make, regardless of the natural disaster that took place 
there. Obviously, a lot of the conversation today was about the aid that 
our country is sending: A 747 from AID has landed this morning; another 
one is on its way; we're sending some military planes over, as well. I 
assured him that our Nation was deeply concerned for the citizenry that 
had lost their lives. It was not the appropriate time to discuss policy 
beyond that.
    And I will be making other calls, touching base with world leaders. 
I'll do a lot of that, of course. Good diplomacy really depends upon 
good personal relations, whether or not we agree with each other on a 
lot of issues or not. And I'm going to continue the diplomacy that 
reaches out to people on a regular basis.

Attorney-General-Designate John Ashcroft

    Q. On Senator Ashcroft, are you worried that there are going to be 
more--do you feel he's going to be confirmed, still?
    The President. I do believe he's going to be confirmed. But one of 
my charges is to run the executive branch of Government. And it's 
important for our Cabinet officers to be confirmed so they can start 
doing their job of organizing their departments. Once we get our Cabinet 
officials through, I'm sure I'll be speaking to the Senate about moving 
the number twos and threes through, as well, so that we can take hold of 
this Government.
    And one of the things I'll be doing when our Cabinet meets is 
talking about the need for each Cabinet member to be fiscally sound with 
the taxpayers' money. It's hard to deliver that message when somebody 
hasn't been confirmed. So I would just hope there are no further delays. 
There's been a lot of discussion, a lot of debate; there's been a lot of 
questionnaires presented and answers filled out; and it's now time for 
the vote, it seems like to me.
    Q. Did you get the Vice President a birthday present?
    The Vice President. Not yet. [Laughter]
    The President. As a matter of fact--[laughter]--some used coffee 
cake, perhaps, Mr. Vice President? [Laughter]

Note: The President spoke at 10:35 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Treasury Secretary-designate Paul 
H. O'Neill; Office of Management and Budget Director Mitchell E. 
Daniels, Jr.; and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India. A tape 
was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.

[[Page 241]]


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 241]
 
Monday, February 5, 2001
 
Volume 37--Number 5
Pages 231-255
 
Week Ending Friday, February 2, 2001
 
Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Paul H. O'Neill as Secretary of 
the Treasury

January 30, 2001

    The President. Well, I'm pleased to welcome Nancy O'Neill and the 
O'Neill family here. Thank you all for coming. It's an honor for both 
the Vice President and I to say some words about the Secretary of 
Treasury. With Paul over at the Treasury, he is literally a next door 
neighbor. And I'm going to see a lot of him right here in this office. 
He'll be a valued adviser and a steady hand.
    Secretary O'Neill has served in this office before, at the Office of 
Management and Budget. He understands the workings and responsibilities 
of the executive branch. More than that, he understands the private 
sector, where he and others like him have been driving our country's 
economic boom.
    In a distinguished career, Paul has earned a reputation as a 
straight shooter and an innovator. And I'm proud to welcome him as the 
chief financial officer of this Nation. Paul and I share a great goal: 
to make sure that all Americans can find high paying, high quality jobs. 
And we share a vision of how to get there. Our prosperity depends on 
free trade, less regulation, and America's strong place in our global 
economy. More than ever, American jobs depend on America's standing in 
the world.
    I value Paul's vast experience in the world economy. I value his 
background in employing American workers, and I value his steadiness, 
his conviction, and his authority. We also share a belief that broad, 
responsible tax cuts are an important step we can take to regain the 
momentum of our economy. When we reduce the income tax burden, we must 
do so for everybody who pays taxes.
    When we have a Government surplus, we must prioritize and spend 
responsibly and return some of that surplus to the people who worked for 
it. Because our Government has a surplus does not mean that every 
American family has a surplus. In fact, many families are feeling 
squeezed by high energy prices and credit card debt. We need to give 
them their own money back, to help families manage their own account, to 
pay down their own personal debts.
    Our tax cut will give the biggest percentage reductions to people 
who struggle to get into the middle class and American families who 
struggle to stay there.
    I believe in leaving more dollars with the people who earned them, 
and so does Secretary O'Neill. And I'm proud that those dollars will 
soon bear the signature of Secretary Paul O'Neill.
    Congratulations, Mr. Secretary.

[At this point, Treasury Secretary O'Neill made brief remarks.]

    The President. Mr. Secretary, thank you.
    Why don't we have a family picture, too, if you'd like one. Come on 
up.

Note: The President spoke at 12:06 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Nancy O'Neill, wife of Secretary 
O'Neill. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary 
also included the remarks of Secretary O'Neill.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 241-243]
 
Monday, February 5, 2001
 
Volume 37--Number 5
Pages 231-255
 
Week Ending Friday, February 2, 2001
 
Remarks at the Fishing School

January 30, 2001

    Thank you, Tom, very much for having us. And it's such an honor to 
have John DiIulio on my staff. For those of you who don't know John, 
he's a pioneer in working with Republicans and Democrats and people who 
really care about political parties to revitalize neighborhoods and 
places where hope may have been lost, by rallying faith-based 
organizations. And so, John, I'm so honored that you've sacrificed for 
the country.
    It's good to see Steve Goldsmith here, who is a partner as well.
    A little over a week ago, a few miles from here, I was honored to be 
inaugurated your President. I'm here today to repeat the promise I made 
on the steps of the Capitol: I will work to build a single nation of 
justice and opportunity. I'm going to need some help to do that. And so 
I'm so honored four Members of the United States Congress are here: 
Senator Joe Lieberman from the great State of Connecticut; Senator Rick 
Santorum from Pennsylvania; Congressman Mark Souder of Indiana; 
Congressman Tony Hall of Ohio.

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    I'm also pleased that two members of my Cabinet came: one, Mel 
Martinez, my Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and finally, 
Rod Paige, a fellow Texan who is now the Secretary of Education.
    The Fishing School obviously attracts people who seek excellence, 
and all of us up here, regardless of our political party, love to herald 
excellence. And we love to stand next to people who have got vision and 
good intentions and a good heart. And that's Tom Lewis.
    This little haven is a refuge from violence and addiction and abuse. 
Children find learning and care, but most important, they find something 
that we can never pass legislation to achieve, and that's love. They 
find love. They find an adult saying: Somebody cares about you; somebody 
loves you; somebody wants to help you. Tom knows what we all know, that 
through loving children, you find deep fulfillment in your own heart. 
You can just see it on his face, and you can hear it in his voice.
    As a candidate for President, I had the privilege of visiting a lot 
of churches and synagogues and charitable groups all across the country, 
groups that offer food and shelter, hope and dignity. I've seen how 
effective and committed these groups are at saving and changing lives. 
As President, I am resolved to put Government on your side, Tom, on the 
side of the committed and the caring and the compassionate.
    There are so many people in need. The good news about America is, 
there are so many willing to serve. It's the great strength of our 
Nation. There's no limit to the talent and energy and compassion of this 
great land. But sometimes the need is too great, and the resources are 
too limited, and all of us, as private citizens and public officials, 
should help where we can.
    Today I'm sending to Congress a set of ideas and proposals that mark 
a hopeful new direction for our Government. We will encourage community 
and faith-based programs without changing their mission. We will 
eliminate barriers to charitable works wherever they exist, and we will 
encourage charitable giving wherever we can.
    I'm open to any good ideas that will come from the Congress. And I 
can assure you, these four good Members of Congress will have some good 
ideas. [Laughter] And they're probably not going to be afraid to tell me 
either. [Laughter] But here are some of my proposals.
    I want to fully open up the Federal after-school program, called 
21st century learning centers, to all after-school programs, including 
faith-based groups. I propose to create a compassionate capital fund 
which will provide start-up funds for promising new programs serving 
people in need. We'll make sure that funding is available to faith-based 
programs on an equal basis, with nonreligious alternatives.
    Government, of course, cannot fund and will not fund religious 
activities, but when people of faith provide social services, we will 
not discriminate against them. I propose to encourage mentoring programs 
for children of prisoners, as well as programs that, when possible, help 
to mend broken families.
    The change we seek won't come all at once by any act of Congress or 
any Executive order signed by the President. Real change happens street 
by street, heart by heart, one soul, one conscience at a time. It 
happens in places like this one, the Fishing School. Yet, I hope that 
good policies can expand and multiply these efforts, uplifting lives all 
across America.
    You know, those of us in public life oftentimes are honored to be 
able to see the best of America, to be able to find true strength, the 
true heart of the country. I believe the true heart of the country can 
be defined here at the Fishing School, a place, an idea started because 
somebody said, ``What can I do? How can I hear the universal call to 
love a neighbor just like I'd like to be loved myself?'' In this case, a 
person I call a social entrepreneur, and this is a country of social 
entrepreneurs.
    And our job, regardless of our political party, is to recognize the 
strength of the country, to nourish it and feed it within the 
Constitution, within the bounds of the Constitution, and to herald 
success when we find it. And today all of us are honored to be here to 
herald success because we have found it right here.
    God bless Tom. God bless your program.

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