THE PRESIDENT: Good
afternoon. The Vice President and I are pleased
to welcome the Cabinet to the Rose
Garden. Together with Congress, we are
proving that a new tone, a
clear agenda and active leadership can bring
significant progress to the nation's
capital. We are ending deadlock and drift and making our
system work on behalf of the American people.
Six months ago, I
chose a distinguished Cabinet, took a solemn oath,
and promised to fight for the things close to my
heart. My administration pledged to bring stability and high
standards to Washington and to lead for the sake of all Americans.
Six months later,
I'm proud of my Cabinet and the White House staff, who have
worked with such energy and have brought integrity to their jobs.
I'm grateful for the goodwill shown by Congress, and I am
pleased with the
progress we have made together, progress that touches
every American family.
We acted quickly to
pass the first major tax cut in a generation, to
help families in an economic slowdown and to help
rebuild the momentum of our economy.
Both houses
of Congress
have passed major education reform
legislation, which will bring a
new passion for excellence to America's
public schools.
We have broken six years of
gridlock in the task of protecting patients from arbitrary medical
decisions made by bureaucrats.
The House has passed
a bill to promote the work of mentoring groups,
homeless shelters and drug treatment
facilities. And I have had positive discussions with leaders
in the United States Senate on this matter.
The House has also passed an energy plan
that addresses current needs. We have put our foreign
policy on sound footing. We are strengthening our
relationships with our allies and moving to build a world
that trades more freely.
We have taken the first steps toward
revitalizing and transforming our military so it
can meet the threats and challenges of the future. Today,
the Senate joined with the House to provide our
farmers with $5.5 billion of emergency help. We
passed a budget resolution that, for the first time
in recent memory, has been respected, not
ignored. And we are on our way
to the second largest surplus in history, as well as
paying down a significant amount of U.S. debt.
On this path, we are headed for a year of
strong, meaningful legislative achievements.
And I want to express my
thanks for every legislator who made tough
decisions, every legislator who chose long-term progress over
short-term political gain.
There's much more to
do. In September, the second stage of our work
begins, and I will be
guided by a few goals. First, we must finish the
work we have begun. On the topics of education
and the disadvantaged, our
nation has needs that will not
wait. Americans, come September, will be
watching. They want us to be
principled, not partisan. They want us to
look for agreement instead of looking for fights and
arguments. Americans
know obstructionism when they see it; and when
necessary, I will point it out.
Second, the Congress must live within the
generous limits of our budget. Irresponsible spending is a
threat to our economy and a threat to the essential functions of our
government. I will protect Medicare, Social
Security and our Armed Forces. And I will protect
the American taxpayers.
The Congress, through its budget resolution, has given its word
on spending. So far, Congress has kept its
word. And it must continue to do so.
Third, within a
limited budget we must have an active, compassionate
government.
Beginning in September, I'll be
proposing creative ways to tackle some of the toughest problems in our
society. We must take the side
of parents trying to raise responsible, motivated
and moral children. We
must help disadvantaged Americans find
opportunity and ownership and the
tools to succeed in our free
economy. We must show that our welcoming
society values the ideals and contributions of immigrants.
We must challenge Americans to be citizens, not spectators, in the
renewal of their neighborhoods and their cities.
In a few days, I'm headed
home to the heartland, to listen to the
American people, and to talk about the
values that unite and sustain our country.
Members of Congress are going home as
well. When we all come
back in September, so many
accomplishments are within our reach. And I look forward to
the work ahead.