pd09ap01 Statement on Senate Action on Federal Budget Legislation...

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spending by 4 percent; we've set aside money for contingencies. Once we 
meet those obligations and priorities, I would rather you have your own 
money so you can make the investments you think are necessary.
    I'd rather working people have their own money so they can decide 
what to do with their hard-earned dollars, as opposed to the Federal 
Government making those decisions. And that's the debate, and there's a 
big philosophical divide.
    Oh, some folks up here may not want to see it that way, but it's 
clear to me that it's a matter of trust. And I'm here in Washington; I 
readily concede I'm a part of the Federal Government--proudly so. But I 
trust people with their own money. I would rather have people have--once 
priorities are met--I'd rather have people have their own cash flow, so 
they can decide how to save and invest.
     I don't think 535 people ought to be making the decisions for 
people with money that I don't think is necessary to remain here in 
Washington, DC. And I hope you help me spread that message, because it's 
an important message for this country. It's a fundamental debate about 
how wealth is created. It's a fundamental debate about who does our 
Government trust.
    I like our position, because when the people begin to hear outside 
the filter of Washington, DC, you know, when we get beyond those who 
decide how words sometimes are translated out there in the hinterlands, 
once people realize Social Security obligations will be met and the 
Medicare obligations will be met, once they understand, for example, in 
the first 4 months of this year, there's $40 billion more coming into 
our Treasury than anticipated, that even though the economy ground down 
to growth of one percent in the last quarter, $40 billion more will come 
into our Treasury than we thought--once people hear the facts, they will 
realize that tax relief doesn't mean somebody is going to suffer; tax 
relief is a positive.
    For too long in Washington, people had to put tax relief in zero-sum 
politics. We've got one winner and one loser. If you keep more of your 
tax money, somebody's going to lose. But that's not reality--that's not 
reality.
    Let me reiterate what I just said: $40 billion more in the first 
quarter of this year, in spite of the fact--anticipated--in spite of the 
fact that our economy grew at only one percent. The way I like to put it 
is, it sounds like somebody is overcharged. [Laughter]
    And there is another issue that's going to be debated here pretty 
soon, and that's the death tax. I firmly believe that our Nation must 
get rid of the death tax. You know, I think of all the folks that I met 
who are struggling with their own small business, not only trying to 
fight the battles of cash flow and employment and workers' comp and all 
the issues that small-business owners deal with--liability--but I'm also 
thinking about all those who dream about leaving their assets to a 
child. And what a wonderful thought that is, that somebody's worked all 
their life to start their own business, so that a son or daughter can 
run it as part of a family legacy. And yet our Tax Code makes it really 
hard for that to happen.
    There's a lot of small-business owners, a lot of restaurant owners 
who inherent a restaurant and are unable to pay the cash necessary to 
accommodate the evaluation and, therefore, are out of business. There's 
a lot of farmers and ranchers who have to do the same thing, and that's 
not fair. It's not fair to tax a person's assets twice.
    I urge the Congress to listen to the voices of the people who are 
working all day long to build up their asset base and their business. It 
doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, this affects all 
Americans in a negative way. And I think we're going to get a positive 
response out of Congress.

[[Page 565]]

    And you can help. You can help by talking to the Congresspeople from 
your district and the Senators from your States. I truly believe--I 
believe you can have a great presence here in Washington. I know there's 
a lot of frustrated folks outside in the country that say, ``Well, I 
can't influence Washington.'' I disagree. I think you can. I truly think 
you can.
    I think one of the reasons why we've gone as far as we have in the 
tax relief plan is because a lot of people in America are beginning to 
hear reality and hear the truth that we've got enough money to meet 
needs and let people keep their own money. A lot of people are beginning 
to realize that this is a plan that is fair, an eminently fair plan. If 
you pay taxes, you ought to get relief.
    The idea of Washington, DC--of people in Washington saying, ``We're 
going to have targeted tax cuts''--you know what that says to me? It 
says, people can decide you win, and you don't win, and that's not good 
public policy. It seems like, to me, if you pay taxes, you ought to get 
relief, and I think that's the American way.
    I think most Americans understand the role of our Government is not 
to create wealth but an environment in which small businesses can 
flourish, in which people can work hard to realize their dream. So we're 
making great progress.
    I remember campaigning during last summer, and people would say, 
``Well, are you ready to abandon your tax relief plan? It doesn't seem 
like anybody wants it in America.'' And I said, ``No, I'm not abandoning 
it. It's the right thing to do. It's the absolute right thing to do.'' 
And so now, the debate no longer is, are we going to have tax relief? 
The debate is, how large will the tax relief package be? And I 
appreciate your helping getting us to this point.
    But we need to work more, because until I sign that bill, I'm going 
to be relentless on the subject. It is the absolute right thing to do 
for America. It is the right thing to trust people with their own money. 
It is the right thing for our economy to accelerate tax relief. It is 
the right thing to create an environment that is optimistic about the 
future by having real, meaningful tax reform. It's the right thing to 
get rid of the death tax. And the American people are hearing it, and 
they're coming our way.
    And a lot of it has to do with leadership such as yourself, who go 
back to your States and your communities, and says, ``Let's pay 
attention to what's going on in the Nation's Capital. It will affect 
us--have a direct effect on our livelihoods.''
    And so, I want to thank you for giving me a chance to come and make 
my point and make my case, and more importantly, Denise, I want to thank 
you and your organization for joining us as we get something positive 
done on behalf of the people.
    I am so optimistic about the tone in Washington; it's beginning to 
change. The habitual name-calling seems to be subsiding somewhat. Even 
the President, me, when somebody says some things I don't like, I'm 
willing to smile. [Laughter] And there is a spirit of accomplishment; 
we're beginning to get something done. And that's so important. It's so 
important, so that when people look at Washington, they're not disgusted 
at what they see--what they see, as opposed to this needless 
partisanship that sends a signal that, all of a sudden, the people don't 
matter. We need to replace that with a spirit of, at least, respectful 
disagreement, and I think we're making pretty good progress.
    So I'm pleased with the progress we're making. I'm mindful that 
we've got a lot more work to do, and I want to thank you all for giving 
me the chance to come and make my case.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 2:11 p.m. in Presidential Hall at the 
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he 
referred to Denise Marie Fugo, chairman, National Restaurant 
Association.


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

[Page 565-566]
 
Monday, April 9, 2001
 
Volume 37--Number 14
Pages 559-588
 
Week Ending Friday, April 6, 2001
 
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Congressional Leaders and an Exchange 
With Reporters

April 2, 2001

Trade Policy

    The President. It's my honor to host a discussion on trade and its 
advantages to our country. I want to thank the leaders of the House and 
the Senate in both parties for

[[Page 566]]

being here. We've got a lot of work to do in order to get trade 
promotion authority, but I'm confident that we can work together to do 
so. It's in our Nation's best interest that we trade. It's in the 
interest of those who provide jobs. It's in the interest of our farmers 
and ranchers. It's in the interest of small-business owners. And as I 
was reminded, it's in the interest of those of us who care about our 
values as to how to spread our values around the world.
    This is an issue that is going to require close cooperation between 
members of the Republican Party and the Democrat Party. But that's 
achievable because trade is an American issue, and it's an important 
American issue.
    So I look forward to working with the Members. I'm honored you all 
are here. Thank you for coming. And Ambassador Zoellick, who is the 
Trade Representative, is working hard on the Hill. And when you all get 
back from recess, we'll be working with you to see if we can advance the 
cause.
    Thanks for coming.

U.S. Navy Aircraft Incident

    Q. Any progress on the Chinese, Mr. President?
    The President. Nothing more to report.
    Q. Is it safe to assume they boarded the plane?
    The President. Nothing more to report. Gregory [David Gregory, NBC 
News], give it a rest, will you? [Laughter]

Note: The President spoke at 4:19 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 566]
 
Monday, April 9, 2001
 
Volume 37--Number 14
Pages 559-588
 
Week Ending Friday, April 6, 2001
 
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With the Congressional Hispanic Caucus

April 2, 2001

    I thank you all for coming. It's my honor to welcome Chairman Reyes 
and members of the Hispanic Caucus here. I thank them for coming. It's 
going to give us a very good chance to get to know each other on a 
personal basis, as well as to talk about some issues that are of deep 
concern to the Members of the Congress. And Mr. Chairman, I'm honored to 
have you here.
    One of the things that I know the chairman knows is that I respect 
the Hispanic culture a lot. When I was a Governor for the State of 
Texas, I used to remind my fellow Texans that our State was richer as a 
result of the Hispanic culture. And I look forward to working with the 
members here on a variety of issues, not the least of which is to make 
sure the world is more peaceful, more educated, and more prosperous.
    So, thank you all for coming. Thank you for being here.

Note: The President spoke at 5:24 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Silvestre Reyes, chairman, 
Congressional Hispanic Caucus. A tape was not available for verification 
of the content of these remarks.


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

[Page 566-567]
 
Monday, April 9, 2001
 
Volume 37--Number 14
Pages 559-588
 
Week Ending Friday, April 6, 2001
 
Message on the Observance of National Library Week

April 2, 2001

    I am pleased to join my fellow Americans in observing National 
Library Week.
    An educated citizenry provides the foundation for a free and 
democratic society. Libraries promote the sharing of knowledge, 
connecting people of all ages with valuable information resources. These 
dynamic and modern institutions, and the librarians who staff them, add 
immeasurably to our quality of life.
    Libraries serve as important centers for collecting, storing, and 
organizing information. Each year, more than 100,000 books are published 
in the United States alone, and the U.S. government publishes as many 
documents. Even beyond these numbers are incredible volumes of 
newspapers, magazines, and other copyrighted material.
    In public, government, professional, or academic facilities, 
librarians help individuals use numerous resources to complete the 
simplest or most complex of research-related tasks. This ability to 
search for information from the oldest manuscripts to the latest 
references available demonstrates the enduring versatility of libraries.

[[Page 567]]

    During this special observance, I commend librarians for their 
contributions to education and learning throughout our Nation. I also 
encourage all Americans to visit their neighborhood library. Laura and I 
send our best wishes to the staff, volunteers, and patrons of libraries 
across America.
                                                George W. Bush

Note: April 1-7, 2001, was designated National Library Week.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 567]
 
Monday, April 9, 2001
 
Volume 37--Number 14
Pages 559-588
 
Week Ending Friday, April 6, 2001
 
Proclamation 7420--Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 2001

 April 2, 2001

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    This year on Pan American Day and during Pan American Week, the 
nations of the Americas celebrate the progress we have made toward our 
collective goal of a hemisphere united in freedom and democracy.
    The United States and our neighboring countries in the Western 
Hemisphere have a long history of cooperation. Simon Bolivar first 

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