pd07jy03 Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on Sanctions Under the Foreign...

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threats to our safety. Our greatest security comes from the advance of 
human liberty, because free nations do not support terror. Free nations 
do not attack their neighbors. Free nations do not threaten the world 
with weapons of mass terror. Americans believe that freedom is the 
deepest need and hope of every human heart. And we believe that freedom 
is the right of every person and freedom is the future of every nation.
    America also understands that unprecedented influence brings 
tremendous responsibilities. We have duties in the world. And when we 
see disease and starvation and hopeless poverty, we will not turn away. 
On the continent of Africa, which I'll be visiting in 10 days, America 
is now committed to

[[Page 835]]

bringing healing--the healing power of medicine to millions of men and 
women and children now suffering with AIDS. This great land is leading 
the world in this incredibly important work of human rescue.
    We face challenges at home as well, of course. And our actions prove 
that we're equal to those challenges. I will continue to work on our 
economy until everybody who wants to work and who is not working today 
can find a job.
    We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by 
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. Last night, the Congress took 
historic action to improve the lives of older Americans. For the first 
time since the creation of Medicare, the House and Senate passed reforms 
to increase choices for our seniors and to provide coverage of 
prescription drugs. The next step is for both Houses to come together, 
iron out the final details, and get a bill to my desk.
    And for the sake of health care, we need to cut down on the 
frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. People who have 
been harmed by a bad doc deserve their day in court. Yet, the system 
should not reward lawyers who are simply fishing for a rich settlement.
    Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of medicine, and therefore they 
affect the Federal budget. Medical liability reform is a national issue 
that requires a national solution, and the Congress must act.
    I have a responsibility as President to make sure the judicial 
system runs well, and I have met that duty. I've nominated superb men 
and women for the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not 
legislate from the bench.
    Some Members of the Senate are trying to keep my nominees off the 
bench by blocking up-or-down votes. Every judicial nominee deserves a 
fair hearing and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. It is time for 
some Members of the United States Senate to stop playing politics with 
American justice.
    The Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy plan. We need to 
use our technologies to help us conserve more, to find alternative 
sources of energy, but we need to use our technologies to help us 
explore in environmentally sensitive ways for more energy here at home. 
For the sake of our national security, for the sake of our economic 
security, we need to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    Our strong and prosperous Nation must also be a compassionate 
nation. I will continue to advance our agenda of compassionate 
conservatism, applying the best and most innovative ideas to the task to 
helping our fellow citizens in need. There are still millions of men and 
women who want to end their dependence on Government and become 
independent through work. We must build on the success of welfare reform 
to bring work an dignity to more of our fellow citizens.
    Congress should complete a ``Citizens Service Act'' so more 
Americans can serve their communities and their country. And both Houses 
should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to support the 
armies of compassion that are mentoring children, caring for the 
homeless, and offering hope to the addicted.
    A compassionate society must promote opportunity for all, including 
the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This 
administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in 
America. We want more people owning their homes. We want people to own 
and manage their own health care. We want people to own and manage their 
own retirement accounts. We want people to own their own small business. 
We understand that when a person owns something, he or she has a vital 
stake in the future of America.
    In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take 
responsibility for the decisions they make. We're changing the culture 
of America from one that has said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and 
do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in 
which each of us understands we are responsible for the decisions we 
make in life.
    If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you're 
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you are 
concerned about the quality of education in your community, you're 
responsible for doing something about it. If you are a CEO in America, 
you are responsible for telling the

[[Page 836]]

truth to your employees and your shareholders. And in the new 
responsibility era, each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor 
just like we'd like to be loved ourselves.
    We can see the culture of service and responsibility growing around 
us. I started what's called the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans 
to extend a compassionate hand to a neighbor in need. And the response 
has been incredibly strong. And our faith-based charities all across our 
country are vibrant and strong and hearing the call to help somebody who 
hurts.
    Policemen and firefighters and people who wear our Nation's uniform 
are reminding us what it means to sacrifice for something greater than 
yourself. Once again, the children of America believe in heroes, because 
they see them every day.
    In these challenging times, the world has seen the resolve and the 
courage of America. And I've been privileged to see the compassion and 
the character of the American people. All the tests of the last 2\1/2\ 
years have come to the right Nation.
    We see--we are a strong country, and we use that strength to defend 
the peace. We're an optimistic country, confident in ourselves and in 
ideals bigger than ourselves. Abroad, we seek to lift whole nations by 
spreading freedom. At home, we seek to lift up lives by spreading 
opportunity to every corner of our country. This is the work that 
history has set before us, and we welcome it.
    And we know that for our country and for our cause, the best days 
lie ahead. I'm honored you're here. May God continue to bless America. 
Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 7:12 p.m. in the Los Angeles Ballroom at 
the Century Plaza Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Brad Freeman, 
California State finance chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Gerald L. 
Parsky, chairman, Team California, California Republican Party Board of 
Directors; comedian Dennis Miller; actor Kelsey Grammer; and entertainer 
Johnny Mathis. A tape was not available for verification of the content 
of these remarks. This item was not received in time for publication in 
the appropriate issue.


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[Page 836-837]
 
Pages 833-880
 
Week Ending Friday, July 4, 2003
 
The President's Radio Address

June 28, 2003

    Good morning. This week the United States Congress passed historic 
legislation to strengthen and modernize Medicare. Under the House and 
Senate bills, American seniors would, for the first time in Medicare's 
38-year history, receive prescription drug coverage.
    We're taking action because Medicare has not kept up with the 
advances of modern medicine. The program was designed in the 1960s, a 
time when hospital stays were common and drug therapies were rare. Now, 
drugs and other treatments can reduce hospital stays while dramatically 
improving the quality of care. Because Medicare does not provide 
coverage to pay for these drugs, many seniors have to pay for 
prescriptions out of pocket, which often forces them to make the 
difficult choice of paying for medicine or meeting other expenses.
    In January I submitted to Congress a framework for Medicare reform 
that insisted on giving seniors access to prescription drug coverage and 
offering more choices under Medicare. The centerpiece of this approach 
is choice. Seniors should be able to choose the health care plans that 
suit their needs. When health care plans compete for their business, 
seniors will have better, more affordable options for their health 
coverage. Members of Congress and other Federal employees already have 
the ability to choose among health care plans. If choice is good enough 
for lawmakers, it is good enough for America's seniors.
    I'm pleased to see that Congress has accepted the principle of 
choice for seniors. Under the provisions of both the House and Senate 
bills, seniors who want to stay in the current Medicare system will have 
that option, plus a new prescription drug benefit. Seniors who want 
enhanced benefits, such as coverage for preventative care and a cap on 
out-of-pocket costs, will have that choice as well. Seniors who like the 
affordablity of managed care plans will be able to enroll in such plans. 
And low-income seniors will receive extra help so that all seniors will 
have

[[Page 837]]

the ability to choose a Medicare option that includes prescription drug 
benefits.
    My framework for Medicare reform also called for immediate help to 
seniors through a prescription drug discount card. And I'm pleased that 
both the House and Senate bills would make a discount card available to 
seniors. The card would help senior citizens by reducing their 
prescription drug costs, beginning early next year and continuing until 
the new prescription drug program under Medicare takes full effect in 
2006.
    The Congress must now pass a final bill that makes the Medicare 
system work better for America's seniors. This is an issue of vital 
importance to senior citizens all across our country. They have waited 
years for a modern Medicare system, and they should not have to wait any 
longer.
    Earlier this month in Chicago, I met Gene Preston and his wife, 
Dorothy. They spend about $300 a month on prescription drugs, and they 
do not have prescription drug coverage. Gene says, ``Everything is going 
up in price. Before, we could save a couple of bucks at the end of the 
month. But right now we're just holding even, if not going below even.'' 
When Congress completes its work, seniors like Gene and Dorothy Preston 
can look forward to better health care coverage and relief from the 
rising cost of prescription drugs.
    I appreciate the hard work of Members of Congress who have set aside 
partisan differences to do what is best for the American people. I urge 
Members to seize this opportunity to achieve a great and compassionate 
goal. I urge them to finish the job of strengthening and modernizing 
Medicare, so that I can sign this crucial reform into law.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 2:35 p.m. on June 26 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 28. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
June 27 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of 
the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this 
address.


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[Page 837]
 
Pages 833-880
 
Week Ending Friday, July 4, 2003
 
Statement on the Death of Katharine Hepburn

June 29, 2003

    Katharine Hepburn delighted audiences with her unique talent for 
more than six decades. She was known for her intelligence and wit and 
will be remembered as one of the Nation's artistic treasures. Laura 
joins me in sending our thoughts and prayers to her family.


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[Page 837-841]
 
Pages 833-880
 
Week Ending Friday, July 4, 2003
 
Remarks to Senior Citizens
in Miami, Florida

June 30, 2003

    Thank you very much. Thanks for coming. Sientese, por favor. Muchas 
gracias. I'm honored to be here. Thank you for letting me come by to 
talk about a subject that is, I know, important to many, and that is the 
opportunities and the chances of modernizing Medicare. I am really glad 
to have the invitation to come to the Little Havana Activities and 
Nutrition Centers. After all, it gives me a chance to check up on El 
Gobernador--[laughter]--mi hermanito, mi grande hermanito. [Laughter]
    I'm really proud of Jeb. He's--as you know, we've got a very close 
family, and any chance we have to get together to visit and compare 
notes about the latest thing Mother has told us to do, it gives us--it's 
a great opportunity. So--but thanks for letting me come.
    I--as Tommy mentioned, that we're making historic progress in 
Washington. It's really a matter of will. It's a matter of putting aside 
politics and focusing on what we're supposed to be focusing on, that is, 
the people. And so today I want to spend some time talking about the 
historic opportunity we have to modernize Medicare on behalf of 
America's seniors.
    There's some differences between the two bills. The Senate had one 
version. The House of Representatives had another. But there's a lot of 
commonality between them. And I'm confident that the Members, when they 
get back from their Fourth of July breaks, will

[[Page 838]]

get to work, iron out the differences in a constructive way, and get a 
good bill to my desk so that I can then say, and all of us can say, 
we've done our jobs on behalf of America's seniors.
    Tommy has--Tommy Thompson has been the point person for the 
administration on Capitol Hill, working this issue hard. He has done a 
really good job. He was my friend when he was the Governor of Wisconsin, 
so I saw that he was a good, hard worker and a productive person as the 
Governor of Wisconsin. He was a reformer, and he was on the leading edge 
of change in a lot of areas. And I was really happy to be able to 
convince him to serve in the incredibly important position of Secretary 
of HHS. And he hasn't let me down, and he's not letting the American 
people down, Tommy, and I want to thank you for your service.
    And I'm glad that Josefina came. I understand she used to be the 
president and CEO of this--of the Little Havana Activities and Nutrition 
Centers. She is--she did such a good job here that we spirited her up to 
Washington, DC, to serve our country. I want to thank Josefina, and I 
also want to wish her a happy birthday.
    Toni Jennings, the Lieutenant Governor, is with us today, and I'm 
honored that the Lieutenant Governor would be here. Thank you, Toni.
    I see that the Diaz-Balart boys are with us today. Keep your remarks 
short. [Laughter] No, I'm looking forward to visit--to spend a little 
quality time with them. They're a good friend, strong allies. They know 
what I know, that under the current leadership in Cuba, there will never 
be freedom. They know that, and I know that as well.
    And one thing we believe in in America is freedom for everybody. We 
believe freedom is the desire of every human heart. We believe freedom 
is the future of every country. We believe in a free Cuba.
    I also want to thank Congressman Mark Foley for joining us today. 
Congressman, thank you for being here. I'm honored you're here. I 
appreciate your time. Terry White is here, the secretary of the Florida 
Department of Elder Affairs. Terry, thank you for coming, Senor Blanco. 
I--Dr. Rhonda Medows is with us today. I'm honored that the doc is here.
    We've got el alcalde de Miami. Thank you, Senor. Thank you very 

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