For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 8, 2001
Remarks by the President to the Travel Pool During Tour of CDC
Remarks by the President to the Travel Pool During Tour of CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia
5:25 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: You know, a lot of Americans never heard
of the CDC. They're wondering what CDC means. And they have
learned that the folks who work at CDC are part of a vast army to fight
off the terrorist attacks in America. And I'm so fortunate
to be able to come by and say hello to the people that are working
endless hours to provide good public health information, remedies, a
quick response to people who have been affected by this evil attack.
I believe -- firmly believe that because of the good folks who work
in this building and other buildings throughout Atlanta, Georgia, and
throughout the country for CDC, that we've saved a lot of lives in
America. And the very least I can do is come by and thank them for
their hard work and their dedication to the country. So, for
a group of folks that have made a difference in America, it's -- and no
one ever heard about, they're going to hear about -- be heard about
tonight. I'm going to talk about public health officials as
part of being the new heroes of America. And that's why I've
come by today, to thank them.
Q Mr. President, what sort of -- does the
CDC need now from the administration?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, one of the things that they need is
for there to be an organization that allows for the free flow of
information -- that when the CDC finds something, gets information,
they're able to pass it throughout our government. And we're
getting really well-organized. The CDC's whole function is
to help save lives, and the faster information can move, the more
analysis can happen on a real-time basis, the more likely it is people
will live.
In terms of the CDC budget, one of the jobs of Tom Ridge, the new
Homeland Security Director, is to collect information. And
we'll present a budget to Congress. And if we need to
present a supplemental, we'll do so next year. But we're
collecting all the information to make sure that our strategy is
seamless and the budget reflects a seamless strategy.
Q Mr. President, what's your take on the
call for a universal application of small pox vaccines for all
Americans?
THE PRESIDENT: We're in the process of -- I'm looking at
different options for small pox. One thing is for certain;
we need to make sure vaccines are available if there were to ever be an
outbreak.
As to whether or not we ought to have mandatory vaccinations, I'm
working with Tommy Thompson on that. One of my concerns is
if we were to have universal vaccination, some might lose their
life. And I would be deeply concerned about a vaccination
program that would cause people to lose their life. But I'm looking at
all options, all possibilities, and we'll work with the smartest minds
in America to develop the best strategies in how to deal with a
potential small pox attack.
Q Mr. President, do you think the Postal
Service should be bailed out? The Postmaster General is
suggesting billions may be needed.
THE PRESIDENT: We are looking at all opportunities to
spend money in our government, and we're going to make sure that any
supplemental that may or may not occur next year fits into an overall
national strategy. I told the appropriators in Congress that
we believe we've got ample money to make it through the holiday season
and the beginning of next year; that the $40 billion that they
appropriated in the supplemental is ample to meet our homeland security
needs, as well as our defense needs; and that before we spend more
money, let's make sure we have a national strategy to deal with the
homeland defense issue. And that's -- the Postal Service is
part of the homeland defense.
So we'll look at all opportunities to spend money. But I
urge Congress not to break the budget agreement that we signed off to
in early October. And I remind them that the $40 billion of
supplemental is enough to meet the nation's needs. We have
hardly even begun to spend the $40 billion that they
presented. But we're listening to all requests.
Thank you, everybody.
Q Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: My pleasure.
END
5:30 P.M. EST
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