Home > 2001 Presidential Documents > pd07my01 Remarks at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner...pd07my01 Remarks at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner...
legislative action on behalf of Americans of all ages.
In your letter, you expressed support for some of the principles
that I have outlined as cornerstones for any reform of Social Security.
Like you, I believe that we must honor our commitment to pay full
promised benefits to those who have made a lifetime of contributions to
the Social Security program. I also believe that Social Security
surpluses must be dedicated to Social Security only.
I was pleased to see that you do not oppose personal accounts, even
while acknowledging legitimate differences regarding their appropriate
structure and financing. Please be assured that the commission will
consider a full and fair analysis of all methods of designing and
financing such accounts.
I share your desire that the commission be truly bipartisan. It is
my intention that the commission be composed of an equal number of
Republicans and Democrats, and that the commission make use of the
nonpartisan and independent projections embodied in the Social Security
Trustees' reports.
As you note, it has been nearly two decades since the last
significant legislation to shore up Social Security's finances. Too
frequently in recent years, commissions and advisory councils have been
constructed in a way that reproduced legislative gridlock. Such
structures frustrated needed action to strengthen the programs on which
Americans depend. It is not a coincidence that the last commission to
have contributed significant legislation, the Greenspan Commission of
1981-83, was not handicapped by restrictive voting and approval
procedures.
The best way to ensure that the commission receives the necessary
internal and external approval is for both the President and the
Congressional leadership to provide our support for the development of
its recommendations. Those Americans who depend on Social Security
today, as well as those who will depend on it in the future, deserve no
less from us.
Thank you for your views. I look forward to working with you in the
months to come.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
Note: Identical letters were sent to Richard A. Gephardt, House minority
leader, and Thomas A. Daschle, Senate minority leader.
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Week Ending Friday, May 4, 2001
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Congressional Leaders
May 2, 2001
Budget Agreement
It's my honor to welcome back to the Cabinet Room leaders in the
House and the Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, who worked hard on
the budget. There is a budget deal; it's an agreement that makes a lot
of sense. In the agreement is the largest tax cut in a generation and
reasonable levels of spending.
This plan could not have been done without the leadership of the
Speaker and the
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leader of the Senate, nor could it have been done without two really
fine budget chairmen, Congressman Nussle and Senator Domenici, both of
whom, and their staffs and their committees, worked long, hard hours.
And finally, it couldn't have been done without the cooperation and
work of some of our Democrat friends: Breaux in Louisiana and Miller of
Georgia, Condit of California; Members around this table, who realized
that it's time--it was time to come together to put a good budget
together on behalf of the American people; Members who realize that what
we're talking about is not partisan politics but good budget politics,
good budget policy. They'll always recognize that we're here to serve
the people, and this is the people's budget. It's a good budget for the
working people of America, and I'm proud to congratulate you all for a
job really well done.
Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at 1:10 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
remarks.
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Week Ending Friday, May 4, 2001
Message to the Congress Transmitting the District of Columbia Courts FY
2002 Budget Submission
May 2, 2001
To the Congress of the United States:
In accordance with the District of Columbia Code, as amended, I am
transmitting the District of Columbia Courts FY 2002 Budget Submission.
The District of Columbia Courts have submitted a FY 2002 budget
request for $111.7 million for operating expenses, $41.4 million for
capital improvements to courthouse facilities, and $39.7 million for
Defender Services in the District of Columbia Courts. My FY 2002 budget
includes recommended funding levels of $105.2 million for operations,
$6.0 million for capital improvements, and $34.3 million for Defender
Services. My transmittal of the District of Columbia Courts' budget
request does not represent an endorsement of its contents.
I look forward to working with the Congress throughout the FY 2002
appropriations process.
George W. Bush
The White House,
May 2, 2001.
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Week Ending Friday, May 4, 2001
Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on the National Emergency
With Respect to Sudan
May 2, 2001
To the Congress of the United States:
As required by section 401(c) of the National Emergencies Act, 50
U.S.C. 1641(c), and section 204(c) of the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. 1703(c), I transmit herewith a 6-
month periodic report on the national emergency with respect to Sudan
that was declared in Executive Order 13067 of November 3, 1997.
George W. Bush
The White House,
May 2, 2001.
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Week Ending Friday, May 4, 2001
Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting an Implementation Report on
the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption
May 2, 2001
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:)
Pursuant to the resolution of advice and consent to ratification of
the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption adopted by the Senate
on July 27, 2000, the President must submit to the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations an annual implementation report each year for a 5-year period.
Attached is the first such report.
As this report illustrates, countries throughout our hemisphere have
taken important steps through legislative and executive actions to
implement the Convention. These actions are indications of the
realization that corruption threatens political and
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economic stability and undermines democracy. This report also outlines
the steps taken to establish an evaluation mechanism--known as the
Committee of Experts--to oversee implementation of the Convention.
I look forward to working with the Congress to ensure that we
continue to combat corruption in our hemisphere and across the globe.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
Note: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and Jesse Helms, chairman, Committee on
Foreign Relations. This letter was released by the Office of the Press
Secretary on May 3.
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Week Ending Friday, May 4, 2001
Remarks Following a Meeting With Energy Advisers and an Exchange With
Reporters
May 3, 2001
California Energy Shortages
The President. I want to thank you all for coming today. I've
assembled a team within my administration, in particular, the Secretary
of Energy, as well as the Deputy Secretary of Defense, to discuss
energy.
As the country knows, we're in the process of developing a
comprehensive energy plan that will work to increase supplies, as well
as encourage conservation. This is a long-run solution to the energy
problems we now face.
This administration is deeply concerned about California and its
citizens. We're worried about blackouts that may occur this summer, and
we want to be a part of any solutions. Since I became sworn-in, we've
been working with the State of California to provide regulatory relief
to encourage an increase in the amount of supplies available for the
consumers in that State.
Today I am instructing all agencies, Federal agencies, to reduce
their peak hour electricity use in the State of California. And the
Secretary of Energy will be traveling to the State today to consult with
the Governor of the State of California, as well as work with our
respective agencies in that State.
Secondly, I am pleased to report that the Secretary of Defense,
after a careful review, believes that this Department, which has got a
large presence in the State of California, can reduce peak hour usage by
10 percent and can do so without harming military readiness.
We're also--and the Secretary is going to make it clear to the
officials in the State of California that should Governor Davis, or any
other Governor, for that matter, request power generating units owned by
the Federal Government, they'll be available to help in the case of an
emergency.
As well, FEMA, under Joe Allbaugh, is developing plans to help
States that do face blackouts, to make sure the citizenry doesn't get
harmed in any way.
This is a serious situation in the State of California. And as I
said from the very beginning of my administration, we'll work to help
California in any way we can. And the best way we can is to be good
citizens. So I want to appreciate very much, Mr. Secretary, all your
work, and I know you'd like to say a few words.
[At this point, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham made brief remarks.]
The President. And we have with us Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul
Wolfowitz.
[Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz made brief remarks.]
Government Energy Policy Review
Q. Mr. President, are you asking Federal agencies nationwide to cut
back? And what will the White House do?
The President. Well, I think we ought to ask all agencies to review
energy policy. We're focused right now on California because that's a
State that's going to suffer blackouts. But we've always got to be
mindful of being energy efficient.
And since I've asked other agencies to review their policy, I'm
going to ask the White House to do the same. Chief of Staff Andy Card
has done just that today. We want to be good, efficient users of energy
here in the White House.
Stretch [Dick Keil, Bloomberg Radio].
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Energy Conservation
Q. Mr. President, your energy team is preparing a long-term report,
and the Vice President earlier this week gave a speech in Toronto that
really, frankly, gave short shrift to the concept of conservation and
concentrated, instead, on exploration, finding new ways to get natural
gas pipelines built.
Will conservation be a primary focus of the long-term plan, or is
this really just something that's for the here and now and the short-
term in California?
The President. Oh, I think conservation has got to be an integral
part of making sure we've got a reasonable energy policy. But what the
Vice President was saying is we can't conserve our way to energy
independence; nor can we conserve our way to having enough energy
available. So we've got to do both. We must conserve, but we've also got
to find new sources of energy.
I haven't seen the final report yet, but I suspect the American
people will find a balanced approach. But what people need to hear, loud
and clear, is that we're running out of energy in America. And it is so
important for this Nation to improve its infrastructure so we can not
only deliver supplies, but we need to go find new supply. And I strongly
believe we can do so in an environmentally friendly way.
This Nation is confronted with a major problem. And this
administration is going to be honest with the American people about the
nature of the problem, and we're going to come up with some solutions.
And it's going to take a lot of political will for people to buck some
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