For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 29, 2001
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
Listen to the
Briefing
- Personnel announcements
- Faith-based initiative
- Tax cut refund
- Vice President/health
- Elliot Abrams appointment
- Surgeon General report
- Environmental groups/White House web site
- Muslim leader ejected from White House
- Japanese Prime Minister visit
- Patients' bill of rights
- Medicare reform
- Mexico/truck issue
- Milosevic/War Crimes Tribunal
- Gun sales/background checks
12:03 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: Good
afternoon. I have a personnel announcement and two
additional announcements to make. I'll be more than pleased
to take questions. The President will appoint
Secretary Norman Mineta to be a member of the AmTrak Reform Board for a
five-year term. And the President also intends to nominate
Randal Quarles the be United States Executive Director of the
International Monetary Fund for a term of two years.
On two policy matters, the President is very
pleased to note that in a bipartisan action last night, the House
Judiciary Committee passed his faith-based initiative. The
President had, in the third week of office, identified this as one of
the major priorities of this administration as a way to get help to
millions of people who have been left behind in our society, including
15 million children who are at risk. And of that, there are
some 2 million children of prisoners that this program will help
through mentoring and through other programs.
As far as follow-up to this, the President will, on Monday next week,
meet with a group of national service organizations, such as the
Kiwanis Club, the Rotary Club, the Optimists Club, where he will kick
off a campaign to sign up mentors to help 1 million children receive
additional helping hands in their young lives.
On Wednesday, the President will travel to
Philadelphia, where he will meet with members of the Greater Exodus
Baptist Church to continue to talk about the power that his faith-based
initiative can bring to those who need help and have been left behind
in our society. Secondly, on policy, this
Sunday marks a very important day. This Sunday the American
people will begin to pay lower taxes as a result of the tax cut that
the President has -- that the President proposed and has been approved
by the Congress. On Sunday, people's paychecks will go up,
they'll have more money in their checks, because income tax rates will
be lowered. Already this year, the 15 percent
rate has been lowered to 10 percent, and all rates will come down
beginning this Sunday, meaning all people's paychecks will go up
following this period, this Sunday. This is
all part of four installments that people will get in lower taxes,
beginning this Sunday. The other installments include 91
million checks that will be sent out to taxpayers this year as a result
of the retroactive lowering of tax rates. And then beginning
on January 1, there will be a permanent change made so the 15 percent
rate is 10 percent, and then next April, parents with children will
receive additional tax relief as a result of the increase in the child
credit. There are four installments to the
tax cut over the next nine months, and the first one I'm pleased to
report begins this Sunday.
Q When do the checks go out, Ari? Do
you know when they go out? MR.
FLEISCHER: The checks will begin going out sometime in late
summer, early fall. They will go out in order of people's
Social Security numbers. So if you want to know when you're
going to get your check, you can take a look at the last two digits of
your Social Security number. The lower your last two digits,
the sooner you'll get your check. So if your last two
numbers end in 01, you'll get a check most likely sometime late
summer. And for people whose numbers end around 99, they'll
get it sometime this fall.
Q What about joint filers, so there are two
numbers? MR. FLEISCHER: For the
joint filers, whoever the signatory is will have the Social Security
number. Q Ari, the
White House this morning made a decision that the Vice President's
announcement of his condition and his procedure tomorrow would be made
very abruptly, and it was an abrupt public
announcement. What was the White House concerned about in
the way of public reaction, that it felt it needed to take that step?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I differ with
your categorization of it being abruptly. I think the Vice
President, himself --
Q -- no notice -- MR.
FLEISCHER: The Vice President, himself, wanted to be able to
share the information with the American people, in his own way and in
his own words. And I think it's entirely appropriate to hear
the message from the Vice President. And he wanted to be the
first voice on it, and I think that's entirely appropriate.
Q Why would the
President send back to the NSC a man who admitted that he misled the
American people, Congress on the Iran Contra scandal, participated in a
cover-up and now he's supposed to be in charge of democracy and human
rights? MR. FLEISCHER: Helen,
you're referring to the appointment of Elliot Abrams to the staff of
the National Security Council. And the President believes
that Mr. Abrams is eminently qualified for that position. He
believes he's the best person to do the job and he has full faith in
Mr. Abrams. Q How
could he be the best person with that record?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think you'll also find, if you talk
to several people on the Hill, that he enjoys bipartisan support and
that there is a recognition that he is an outstanding diplomat, he has
an outstanding record; and what he has done as Assistant Secretary for
International Organizations and Human Rights at the State
Department. For the last five years he has been president of
the Center for Ethics and Public Policy. And I think that, again, if
you talk to people on the Hill -- you'll always find opposition to
somebody, but I think you'll also find bipartisan support for Mr.
Abrams. Q He still
participated in a cover-up against the American people.
Q Does the President
have an opinion about his past and how it impacts his ability to
function -- MR. FLEISCHER: The
President thinks that's a matter of the past that was dealt with at the
time, and that Mr. Abrams is held in high regard by Democrats and
Republicans, alike, and that he'll do an outstanding job in this
position. Q Does the
President think that Mr. Abrams acted in a totally ethical way in the
past? Is that the way that White House officials should
conduct themselves now? MR.
FLEISCHER: The President believes that he is the best person
for the job and he enjoys the President's full support.
Q Did the President
appoint him to a National Security Council job which does not require
Senate confirmation, as opposed to a State Department job, because he
felt he was unconfirmable? MR.
FLEISCHER: I can only talk to you about the job to which he
has been appointed.
Q On the Vice President again, many of people
who get pacemakers implanted are warned to stay away from cell phones,
microwave ovens. Is the Vice President -- you know, he's
surrounded by people with sophisticated communication devices,
walkie-talkies, cellular phones. Has any thought been given
to that? MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I
think that is a question you need to address to medical
personnel. Medical personnel are the ones who -- first of
all, the procedure and the tests will take place
tomorrow. And then if they proceed with the step of
installing a pacemaker, I think that's an appropriate question for
medical personnel. They understand the technology of
pacemakers better than I do.
Q Why is it not an appropriate question for the
White House, given the White House has made --
MR. FLEISCHER: I think the question is, what are the medical
implications of pacemakers.
Q I think the second question might be, are you
worried that the White House might have to make some changes or
arrangements in order to accommodate whatever device that they may
implant? MR. FLEISCHER: I think
you should allow the test to be performed tomorrow to see what the
determination is. And then I think that's a technology
question that's best addressed to medical personnel who understand the
technological implications of their recommendations to their patients.
Q Last year, the
President's father reached out to an independent heart specialist to
get an independent take on Vice President -- then Mr. Cheney's --
health and his capacity to do his job. Is the President
going to seek any extra input on this, any independent assessment for
himself? MR. FLEISCHER: Terry,
this is a question for the Vice President about who he entrusts his
medical care to. He has entrusted it to some of the nation's
very best doctors and physicians. The President has full
faith that Secretary Cheney knows how to take care of himself -- I'm
sorry -- Vice President Cheney knows how to take care of
himself. And the Vice President is in excellent medical
hands. Q Does the
President need to conduct his own independent assessment of this, given
the responsibilities that he asks -- MR.
FLEISCHER: No. As I indicated, the President has
feel faith that the Vice President is well aware of how to take care of
himself. And as the Vice President has said just hours ago
from this podium, he has had heart disease for years and years, it's
not something new to him, and he's been dealing with it very
successfully, as a Secretary of Defense who served during war time and
as a Vice President.
Q One more. There are now -- since he
has joined the President's team, he has had three
episodes: one, a heart attack; one, a repairing of a stent;
and now this discovery of an arrhythmia. After having had
heart disease for 20 years, with major heart attacks happening a long
time ago, is that any indication that the responsibilities he's been
asked to undertake here are affecting his health?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, that very same
question was put to the Vice President on this very spot just hours
ago, and the Vice President answered it for himself. And he
said that this is a condition that he has lived with for many a year
and that he's going to undertake this test tomorrow, it's a routine
procedure and if all goes as planned, it will be an outpatient
procedure and he'll be back at work.
Q No second thoughts on the part of the
President? MR. FLEISCHER: That's
correct. Q Did the
President ask that question? Did he pose that question to
the Vice President? MR.
FLEISCHER: The question that Terry posed?
Q The one that I posed
earlier. MR. FLEISCHER: The
President discussed with the Vice President on Tuesday this week --
just as the Vice President indicated already to you today -- that he
asked questions about how the Vice President was feeling, what the Vice
President was hearing from his doctors, what the recommendation
was. And the President said to the Vice President that he
thought he made a wise decision.
Q Did he ever, at any point, bring up the
question of whether, you know, he could continue in office?
MR. FLEISCHER: No. The
Vice President was asked that this morning. I mean, all these
questions were asked to the Vice President and you've heard his
answers. Q Ari, on the
Surgeon General's report, has the President read the full report and,
if not, is he going to? And what is his reaction?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President has
not read the full report. The President understands the
report was issued by a Surgeon General that he did not appoint, a
Surgeon General who was appointed by the previous administration and --
Q What does that have
to do with him reading a report or not? I mean, he believes
in education, doesn't he? MR.
FLEISCHER: Yes, he believes in education, Helen.
Q He's a strong
advocate of education. Why wouldn't he read the report?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think I've
addressed the question.
Q No, you haven't. MR.
FLEISCHER: I was asked if he read the report.
Q You
haven't. Why wouldn't he read it?
MR. FLEISCHER: He's aware of it.
Q What do you mean, aware of it?
MR. FLEISCHER: He has many things
to read. He's aware of the report. He's aware of what the
report says. Q Has
anyone here read it, Ari? Or can --
Q Well, what does he think about
it? Can we get back to that? MR.
FLEISCHER: Sure. The domestic policy has looked
at it. Q Does the
White House have a view on whether it is helpful and advances the
debate, or whether its views are things the White House, itself, would
endorse, the administration would endorse -- since you're distancing
yourself from the Surgeon General? MR.
FLEISCHER: The President believes that everybody has a
responsibility to behave in a fashion that stresses individual
responsibility, and that all individuals need to act responsibly, they
need to understand the consequences of the choices they make.
The President believes, and the report does
have some indication on this, that the best way to prevent pregnancy,
the only sure-fire way is through abstinence. And that's the
best way to avert disease, as well.
Q But the thrust of the report, Ari, is that
abstinence education alone, as I understand it, will not be successful
in all cases and other things need to be tried, as well, including more
broad-ranging sex education -- MR.
FLEISCHER: There is no question, and the report gives some
slight indication to this, that the only method that is fail-proof for
averting unwanted pregnancies is abstinence.
Q Is the President concerned about the spread of
AIDS? MR. FLEISCHER: The President
is very concerned about the spread of AIDS. And, as you
know, the President believes the nation and the world need to launch an
effort that focuses on both education and treatment.
Q I know, but the
Surgeon General raises this one indication of preventing the spread of
AIDS, the use of contraception. MR.
FLEISCHER: Right.
Q And is the White House view that only
abstinence should be followed to prevent the spread of AIDS?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the
President's view on these matters is that these really are questions of
local control and local decisions, and it's not for the White House to
dictate those types of policies. And it's important to allow
local control, to allow people in various schools to make these
decisions. But the President continues to believe that
abstinence and abstinence education is the most effective way to
prevent AIDS, to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Q Local control, though, means a public health
hazard, and AIDS could be spread because people are not taking
precautions. Isn't the White House concerned about that?
MR. FLEISCHER: The White House is
concerned about many things, but that also means that local control is
local control and it means that not everything gets dictated from the
White House. Q Does
that apply to sex education? What is his view on sex
education being taught in schools? MR.
FLEISCHER: It's a matter of local control.
Q Is he for or against
it? MR. FLEISCHER: Is he for local
control? He's for local control.
Q Is he for or against students being taught
about sex at school? MR.
FLEISCHER: It's a question of local control, Ron.
Q And in February, you
have an opportunity to appoint a Surgeon General. Is it safe
to assume he will appoint his own Attorney General?
MR. FLEISCHER: That he will appoint
his own -- Q That would
be a story -- Surgeon General. MR.
FLEISCHER: Of course, the President will appoint his own
Surgeon General. Q Is
it possible that it would be Satcher? MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm just not going to confirm, deny, speculate
about anything involving personnel. That's --
Q Can we assume,
though, that Satcher would not be reappointed?
MR. FLEISCHER: -- as you know, the
longstanding White House policy.
Q Can we assume, given your remarks, that he
will not be reappointed? MR.
FLEISCHER: You're trying to get me to speculate about
personnel, and as you know, that's something I just choose not to do.
Q Well, you won't say
that the President has confidence in the Surgeon General today, is that
right? MR. FLEISCHER: It's not a
question I'm addressing.
Q What should we infer from that? Can
we just draw our own conclusion and you'd be okay with that?
MR. FLEISCHER: That I don't
speculate about personnel.
Q Should he quit now?
Q No, no, because there were other matters like
earlier today you did express the President's confidence in Elliot
Abrams, but not the Surgeon General. So what should we infer
from the distinction? MR.
FLEISCHER: That Elliot Abrams enjoys the confidence of the
President. Q And the
fact that the administration -- that you've emphasized that this
administration did not request this report, that the previous
administration did, indicates this administration wouldn't be
interested in this subject, there's no curiosity about the
effectiveness of sex education? MR.
FLEISCHER: As I recall, also the previous administration
delayed the release of this report because it did not want it to come
out in the middle of an election year.
Q We're asking about what this President, now
holding office -- Q Did
he ever believe in reading an opposite opinion?
MR. FLEISCHER: But you do afford me
the opportunity to remind you of the history of this
report. Obviously, the previous administration made some
judgments about the merits of this report. They made a
decision that it was a report that they did not want to come out at a
time when the previous administration at least was running for
office. And so the previous administration must have seen
something in this report that made them delay it until after the
election. Q But what
is it that makes the President not want to read something like
that? I mean, does he never read anything controversial?
MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, I think it's
no secret. Presidents of the United States do not have the
time to read each and every report that comes out of the federal
government. Q Was he
told about the report, then? MR.
FLEISCHER: He's always briefed on these matters.
Q Briefed by whom?
MR. FLEISCHER: By staff, domestic
policy staff. Q Have
you read it? MR. FLEISCHER: Have I
read it? I've been briefed on it.
Q Ari, didn't the President ask Dr. Satcher to
stay on earlier this year? And, if so, why did he do that?
MR. FLEISCHER: It's news to
me. I have not heard anything like that. People are
appointed to terms. His term does not expire until next
year. Q -- he didn't
ask the Doctor to stay on? MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, do you have any evidence? You
just said the President asked him to stay on.
Q I believe the Doctor said that he was asked to
stay on. MR. FLEISCHER: He has a
term. He has a term that has not expired.
Q Ari, some
environmental organizations are claiming victory with some sort of web
demonstration against the White House. They're claiming that
they sent so many e-mails that the White House web server was brought
down. Is that accurate? MR.
FLEISCHER: I have not heard any information about our web
server being brought down. And typically, I receive any such
notice rather quickly. I think it's happened once since the
President took office. But I have received no information on
that. Q Have you
gotten any indication that the White House has been flooded with
e-mails or -- MR. FLEISCHER: No
more than the normal.
Q Ari, Muslim leaders representing more than --
American Muslims in this country were invited to a meeting here at the
White House yesterday with the community and faith-based
initiative. However, they walked out of that meeting because
one of their members was expelled and accompanied by security after
being allowed in and cleared for security reasons.
Now, this member is the son of Dr. Samuel
Arian and his uncle is Dr. Mazen al Najjar Mr. John
DiIulio, the director of office, he described it as guilt by
association. I hasten to add, neither of these two men were
found guilty by any court in this country of any
wrongdoing. Now, David Bonior has protested very strongly
and issued a statement on the subject. Would the White House apologize
to the American Muslim community? MR.
FLEISCHER: Mr. Bonior is right to complain. The
President is very upset about this. The President is very
concerned that an action was taken that was wrong and inappropriate,
and the President apologizes for it on behalf of the White House.
I want to say that the Secret Service has one
of the most difficult jobs in the government, and they do it on an
extraordinarily sound and good basis. And everybody who
works in this White House is grateful to the Secret Service for the
good work they do. In this one instance, the Secret Service
made a mistake. They've acknowledged it; they have said
so. They will continue to say so. And the
President is concerned about it to the point where he does apologize.
Q Ari, on that same
subject, some of the Muslim leaders complained that what they sense as
snubs or insults to them have begun with, I guess, the cancellation of
an Eid holiday observance, cancellation of Vice President Cheney's
briefing last Friday for the American Muslim Council, as well as Dr.
DiIulio's failure to appear at this briefing, at which the person was
ejected. Is there a pattern of snubbing Muslim leaders for
perceived or unperceived reasons? MR.
FLEISCHER: No. And there have been many other
meetings that have gone forward just as planned. But in the
case, for example, that you mentioned about the Vice President's
meeting, I think everybody understood that that was a matter dealing
with airplanes and logistics and travel time that were beyond the
control of the Vice President. And so he was not able to
make that meeting, and he wishes he could have.
But this White House has engaged in extensive
outreach, all part of the faith-based and community initiative that I
began this meeting with. I said that the President was very
pleased that the House took the action it did to support a program that
can help the nation's mosques, receive help from the federal government
to help them complete the good works that they do on behalf of people
in their community.
Q Back on the Vice
President. Obviously, the energy report is over and we've
moved into the legislative phase. Could you just give us a
sense of what his portfolio, what his policy portfolio looks like now?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President's
policy portfolio?
Q The Vice President's.
MR. FLEISCHER: The Vice President's
portfolio is very, very busy, just as the President's
is. And it's the President's agenda. And that
includes taking action this summer on education so that our schools can
be improved and reformed. It includes taking action on the
faith-based initiative which is moving in the House. It
includes completion of the energy recommendations in the form of
legislation on Capitol Hill. And as you note, the House's
committed by mid-July to have an action on energy at the committee
level. The President hopes that the Senate will take similar
action. So there's a very busy agenda -- that
includes additional items involving appropriation matters where the
administration is pleased to see that the Congress appears to be
holding the line and keeping spending at the levels and the rates that
the President recommended. Les.
Q Can I follow --
MR. FLEISCHER: It's Les
time. A follow-up?
Q Wasn't he appointed to some new task force
after -- he was appointed to head another task force after
energy. Do you recall what that was?
MR. FLEISCHER: No.
Q Cyber-terrorism.
Q Oh, cyber-terrorism,
thank you. Q Ari --
MR. FLEISCHER: I called on
Les. It's Les time.
Q Can we just stay on that subject for just a
second? MR. FLEISCHER: Stay on
that subject. Q Which
is he is running a new task force that is supposed to be quite
intensive. Can you tell us what kind of demands that makes
on his time? The general concern I think we're hearing from
all these questions is whether or not, given the succession of problems
that the Vice President has had, is his capability to handle the
workload matching the workload he's got. MR.
FLEISCHER: As the Vice President, himself, said this
morning, he anticipates that this will be an out-patient procedure
tomorrow and that he'll be at his desk and working on
Monday. And many of these same questions came up after the
last time the Vice President had a medical procedure, and he was right
back at his desk, working. And that has been the case in
each one of these instances. It's a
remarkable reflection about the progress of American medicine that
heart patients -- not only Dick Cheney, but millions of others that are
just like him -- are able to go into a hospital, have an out-patient
procedure, and return to their normal lives, which includes their
family lives and their business lives, the very next
day. And that's a tribute to modern medicine and the
remarkable changes that have been made in the treatment of heart
disease. And the Vice President is one of millions of
fortunate Americans who are able to enjoy a full life, thanks the
medical technology and to the abilities of our nation's doctors.
Q But the point here
that's being brought up that I don't think you're addressing -- yes,
these questions were posed to the Vice President. But you speak for
the President. There is evidence in the past where the
President has independently, basically, checked up on his running mate
to make sure, independently, that he was fit to serve. And
so I think the question that stands out is, does the President believe
that the Vice President's capabilities physically match the workload
that he's still got ahead of him. MR.
FLEISCHER: There's been no change in the statement, I said
that the President has no such concerns, when I said it 10 minutes
ago. The President has no such concerns.
Les.
Q A two-part. The New York Post has
published a report that -- quote -- tapes exist to prove that Arafat
ordered the execution of U.S. Ambassador Cleo Noel and two others in
Khartoum in 1973. But, for reasons of state, every American
administration from Nixon on has refused to comment. Can you
say that this report, that they note is backed up by U.S. Naval
Officer James Welsh, is false or not, Ari?
MR. FLEISCHER: I am not familiar with the report, so I can't
comment on it. Q Both
the Washington Post and the Washington Times have again reported the
Episcopal Church legal battle of Accokeek, Maryland, where the Bush
administration's deputy general counsel of the INS is charged in court
with an assault of an elderly church warden, and where this Bush
official's wife, the acting bishop of Washington, is charged with
trespassing. And she has charged a federal court suit asking
that the court remove the elected rector of this 300-year-old Christ
Church. And my question is, since this rector
that she wants to remove because she doesn't agree with him is a Texan
and he adheres to the same traditional Christian beliefs as the
Reverend John Wesley, who founded President Bush's United Methodist
Church -- MR. FLEISCHER: Is there a
question here? Hello?
Q -- the President certainly cares about this,
doesn't he? Because he is a man who cares about religious
freedom, doesn't he, Ari? MR.
FLEISCHER: He cares about religious freedom,
Les. And I have no --
Q Can you say something about his INS deputy
general counsel being involved in this, in this federal
suit? Is he just going to be silent on this, Ari?
MR. FLEISCHER: Obviously, you have
heard a lot about this. I'll have to --
Q If you give me one
minute with the President, I'm sure he would speak out, don't you
think? MR. FLEISCHER: If I gave
you one minute with the President, you'd take 10.
Q Oh, no.
MR. FLEISCHER: Go ahead.
Q What concrete
measures is the U.S. going to offer to help the Japanese economy?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President
is looking forward to his visit tomorrow with Prime Minister
Koizumi. And the question of the Japanese economy will be
one of several topics that are discussed. The
President understands that the Japanese economy is an issue that the
Prime Minister is very concerned about and the President looks forward
to listening to what the Prime Minister says. I think after
the meeting we may have more information to share with
you. The President will be there, tomorrow,
obviously. There will be a brief photo op, where you'll have
an opportunity to ask a question or two, so that's a question you may
want to address following on the meeting.
Q They are going to talk about the Asia security
issue. Is China, as the neighbor of Japan, going to -- or
should worry about anything about this meeting?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No. Frankly, the United
States-Japanese security alliance has been a bedrock of peace and
stability in the region. And the fact that we have such a
strong security relationship with Japan has brought peace and,
therefore, should bring comfort to all neighbors in the region.
Q In that same meeting
there will be a climate issue. And the Prime Minister will
be coming up with a new proposal to make United States easier to
discuss Kyoto protocol issues. What is the reaction of the
President? MR. FLEISCHER: The
President's reaction will be, he'll be interested in listening to
whatever the Japanese Prime Minister has to say. And if,
indeed, what you just described comes up from the Prime Minister, the
President might be able to discuss it tomorrow.
Q Ari, does the
President believe that there is much chance of getting a patients' bill
of rights at this point out of the Senate, that he could support?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think you
still have to allow the Senate to finish its work. It's not
clear whether the Senate will finish. It's not clear what
amendments will be offered in the Senate. I think the
senators are still trying hard to figure that out for themselves.
So regardless of what the Senate does, the
President's principles remain unchanged. And the President
is ready, willing and able to sign a patients' bill of rights into law
that protects patients in their dealings with HMOs. And he
believes that can be done, and should be done, without driving up the
cost of health care, by turning our health care system over to the
trial lawyers. Q --
has he made any phone calls on that, though, in the last couple days to
any senators, talked to any senators about it?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'd have to check
his phone logs or ask him, so I don't know.
Q Yesterday, Ari, from this podium, you accused
supporters of the bill in the Senate of putting politics before
progress and not compromising. There is now an amendment
that is blessed by the White House, is it not -- by Breaux and others
-- that would shift some of the liability provisions to federal
court. Would the President sign the bill if that amendment
is passed? MR.
FLEISCHER: Actually, David, there is a real question about
whether that amendment will even be offered. So I don't
think it's appropriate to speculate or comment on something that may
not even be. Q -- does
the White House support that amendment? You won't comment on
it? MR. FLEISCHER: Well, as I
indicated, it may not even be offered, so I'm not going to speculate
about something that may not exist.
Q Does something have to be offered in order for
you to comment on
it? I mean, there are proposals that --
MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, it does.
Q Your energy plan --
MR. FLEISCHER: Paula?
Q On Medicare reform,
Senators Bob Graham and Lincoln Chafee yesterday introduced a
bill. I'm wondering if the White House has any response to
that? And, also, they want to start moving on that
mid-July. Does the White House believe there is room on the
congressional plate to do energy, on faith-based initiatives and --
MR. FLEISCHER: I'll tell you
something. The President is becoming increasingly concerned
that the Senate is failing to take action on education. It's
important that the House and the Senate are able to proceed to a
conference. There should be no higher priority than
educating our nation's children. And the President
understands that you can have a crowded Senate calendar, but that needs
to begin with education. The President is
pleased that an agreement has been reached -- although, it is a tad
late -- on the defense supplemental, so that the Department of Defense
can receive the money that it has been promised in this very fiscal
year, which will end in just a few months. So
there is a real question about what issues are the nation's
priorities. And the President believes that education is a
top priority for this nation and so, too, is making sure that Americans
have a summer that is as free as possible from blackouts and brownouts
and high energy prices. So, therefore, he also calls on the
Senate to make sure that they take prompt action on energy.
Q On Mexico, yesterday
you mentioned the possibility of growing tensions and the U.S. because
the vote in the House, in regards to the
trucking. Yesterday, the Mexican government denied that they
participated in Operation -- International to capture about
8,000 smugglers. Do you think this is the result of this
growing tension? MR.
FLEISCHER: No. I think it's hard to say that
there is any type of correlation. Nothing has been done
yet. The House of Representatives has taken one step and, as
the Mexican government knows, it's a multi-step process. But
the President is concerned. The President believes it was an
action that was not necessary, and the President believes that we do
need to increase the number of inspectors on the borders, that we can
and should have safe trucks operated in the United
States. And the same standards should apply to all, whether
they are Mexican or American.
Q -- because INS have announced here, in a big
conference, press conference, the results of this participation that
was supposed to involved Mexico and 12 other Latin American
countries. But now Mexico is saying that they were not
informed, they didn't know anything about the operation. What do you
-- MR. FLEISCHER: I think that's a
question you should address to the appropriate agency.
Q How does the
administration justify its enthusiastic backing of Milosevic's transfer
to the U.N. on the War Crimes Tribunal at the same time it so strongly
opposes the proposed U.N. Court of Criminal Justice?
MR. FLEISCHER: There's an already
recognized international Tribunal of Criminal Justice in the Hague, and
it's a separate matter. It's a separate legal matter, it's a
separate issue. Q Back
to the Vice President, very quickly. The briefing room was
virtually empty this morning when the Vice President came up and
spoke. I mean, I got to sit in the third row, which meant it
had to be pretty empty. MR.
FLEISCHER: There's room in the first row for this briefing.
Q My question is, if as
Ms. Matalin said, she has no concerns about the public's confidence in
the Vice President's health, why not fill this room with every reporter
possible, and say that to as many people as he could?
MR. FLEISCHER: The announcement
went out at 9:15 a.m. this morning, so, of course, all reporters who
were at work at 9:15 a.m. would have been here.
Q Well, I mean, other
people do have multiple tasks they play around here. I mean,
everyone -- it's not to say that people were --
MR. FLEISCHER: I don't control
people's schedules for when they decide to arrive at work at the White
House. Q So the Vice
President informed the President on Tuesday. Why the
three-day period? MR.
FLEISCHER: He shared with the President on Tuesday what was
found, as a result of the harness the Vice President was
wearing. And he discussed with the President the
recommendations from his doctors. The Vice President talked
with his family and with his wife, and I think he made the final
decision last night, is what I'm told.
Q Ari, the Attorney General has announced his
intention to change the policy concerning the retention of records from
background checks at gun sales, reducing the length of time those
records are preserved to one day, and there are some law enforcement
communities say that's a very bad idea. Senator Schumer in
the Senate and Ms. McCarthy in the House are going to introduce
legislation to overturn that. Does the President support
what the Attorney General did, and would he veto a bill like the one
Senator Schumer intends to introduce? MR.
FLEISCHER: Terry, the President thinks its very important
that we have a system that safeguards people from anybody who would
seek to purchase a weapon illegally, and that's why he supports
background checks. And he believes that background checks can and
should be done on an instant basis. He also supports
people's right to privacy. And he supports the right of
law-abiding Americans not to be treated as criminals, and to have any
type of onerous keeping of their records. So he supports
it. Q Is this is a --
to the gun lobby? MR. FLEISCHER: I
can only tell you what the President believes.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you,
everybody. Have a very enjoyable weekend.
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