For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 26, 2001
President Bush Calls for Action on Economy, Energy
Remarks by the President to Business, Trade and Agriculture Leaders
The East Room
Listen to the President's Remarks
2:43 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for that warm welcome, and
welcome to the White House. I appreciate you giving us a
chance to share with you our strategy on how we're going to win the war
against terror.
It starts with assembling a good team, and I put together a
fabulous administration. I picked a great Vice President in
Dick Cheney. (Applause.) Some of you may know
him. (Laughter.) But I know him a man who gives
solid advice, and he's got great judgment. And the nation's
lucky that he left the -- left his previous occupation to serve our
country.
I'm also pleased to be joined by three members of my Cabinet, who
are all involved in shepherding through an economic stimulus plan
through the United States Congress. Secretary Paul O'Neill
is doing a fabulous job. I've got great confidence in Paul and his
ability to sell to the American people and to the United States
Congress that which we're trying to do to make sure our economy
grows. And I want to thank you, Paul, for your service, as
well. (Applause.)
Bob Zoellick is traveling the world promoting free
trade. I'll talk a little bit about trade later
on. But I want to thank his tireless efforts. One thing
that we're all hopeful for is that we start a new round of WTO talks at
Doha, Qatar. And Bob's working hard to make that
happen. I just have come from China, as you know, and he
proceeded me there, and they were still talking about the Zoellick
touch. (Laughter.)
And I want to thank Spence Abraham, as well, who's helping us
shepherd a realistic energy plan through the United States
Congress. So thank you all for being
here. (Applause.)
We are at the beginning of what I view as a very long struggle
against evil. We're not fighting a nation; we're not
fighting a religion; we're fighting evil. And we have no
choice but to prevail. We're fighting people that hates our
values, they can't stand what America stands for. And they really
don't like the fact that we exist. And I want to assure you
all that we will fight this fight on every front. We will
use every resource we have. And there is no doubt in my time
-- in my mind -- that in our time, we will prevail. There's
no doubt. (Applause.)
And we're fighting this war on a variety of
fronts. We've put together a vast coalition of nations to
slowly, but surely, encircle those who would terrorize, and to send the
message that their actions will not stand.
I really appreciate the hard work of the Secretary of State
Powell. He is working endlessly to not only keep a coalition together,
but to broaden it. And it's working -- and it's working.
We're fighting them on a financial front. We're choking
off their money. We're seizing their assets. We
will be relentless as we pursue their sources of
financing. And I want to thank the Secretary of Treasury for
leading that effort.
We're sharing intelligence, because in order to fight a war -- the
new war of the 21st century -- we've got to know more about the enemy;
where they try to hide, where they may try to strike
next. And so we've got great cooperation with intelligence
services from around the world, as well as great cooperation internally
between the CIA and the FBI.
The culture in our agencies have changed. We are now
interested in preventing attack. We're now interested in
finding those who may attack America, and arrest them before they
do. We've had over -- nearly 1,000 people have been detained
in America, and questioned about their motives and their
intentions. The FBI is on full alert, and they take
information garnered from around the world and share that information
in a way that will make Americans proud.
And we've also put our military into action. I've got
great confidence in the American military. I've also got
great confidence in our strategy, as we uphold this
doctrine: It says, if you harbor a terrorist, you're a
terrorist. If you harbor anybody who has harmed America,
you're just as guilty as those who have harmed our country.
And, therefore, the Taliban government, which we gave ample time to
respond to reasonable demands, are now paying the price for harboring
the al Qaeda organization, as they should. We're, slowly,
but surely, dismantling Taliban defenses, Taliban military
installations, the Taliban command and control structure, all aimed at
bringing the al Qaeda criminals to justice.
It is the first battle in the war of terrorism. The
American people are going to have to be patient, just like we
are. They're going to have to be determined, just like our
military is. And with that patience, and with that
determination, we will eventually smoke them out of their holes, and
get them, and bring them to justice. And that's exactly what
the world demands. And that's what the United States will
deliver. (Applause.)
It's hard for some Americans to realize that this is a two-front
war. After all, history has basically said there would never be two
fronts, one abroad and one in America. But we now have a
second front on this war against terror here at home. We've
been struck, obviously, on September the 11th, and we're being struck
again. Anytime anybody puts anthrax in a letter, it's an act
of terror.
The press often act me, well, is this the -- is the evil one hiding
from us in Afghanistan, the ones who have done this to
America? I said, I don't know. We don't know
yet. But we do know the evil one who hides thinks in ways
that we can't possibly think in America -- so destructive, such a low
regard for human life. And anybody who puts anthrax, trying
to kill American citizens, shares the same set of
values. Whoever has done it shares that same value of evil
that we saw on September the 11th. And we'll find them and
bring them to justice, as well.
But we've got a strategy to fight the war on the home
front. As I mentioned, we're disrupting, as much as we
possibly can, any possible attack on America. Every day I
meet with the FBI Director and the Attorney General and Tom Ridge, who
heads the Office of Homeland Security, to get a report on the
activities that were taking place. We take every threat
seriously. We respond to every piece of information we
receive.
As I mentioned, we have arrested or detained over 1,000 people here
in America, to determine -- to find out what they know. And
if they know something that is helpful, we will act on it.
And we've got a great response mechanism in place. Today
I mourned the lives of two who -- two postal officers, who lost their
life in the line of duty. But I can tell the American people
that because of the hard work of many in our public health offices, I
believe we've saved a lot of lives, too, by responding as quickly as we
have.
Today, right here in this room, I had the honor of signing a piece
of anti-terrorist legislation, widely supported by members of both
parties in both Houses. It's needed legislation, to help us
do the job the American people expect, which is to protect the
homeland.
This is a two-front war. It's a two-front
war. And it's a war we're going to win on both
fronts. But make no mistake; the best way to make sure we
protect our homeland is to succeed by bringing the terrorists abroad
who try to strike us to justice.
Now, there's another front on the war, as well, and that's our
economy. And there's no question the terrorists want to cast
a shadow of fear on the businesses of America. They
understand how important our businesses are to our way of
life. After all, the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in
America. It's part of our culture. It's part of a
hopeful society. And the more that can be disrupted, that
spirit of commerce and enterprise, the more successful they think they
will be.
But they're not going to succeed their, either. In all
our wars, the productive power of the economy has been one of our
nation's great advantages. And that's true
today. But it's clear that our economy has been
shocked. There's been shockwaves sent throughout all parts
of the nation's economic fabric. Obviously, we took a huge
hit at the financial center of our country, in New York
City. Our transportation system has been severely disrupted,
which has, in turn, affected hotels and people who work in hotels.
This administration is deeply concerned about those who have lost
jobs, and we know there are a lot of Americans who hurt. And
we hurt for them. And we're going to work with Congress to
take the appropriate actions.
I also know that some in this room have made a tough economic
decision by delaying any layoffs, or have chosen not to lay off
workers. And I applaud you for that. And I thank
you for making that decision, on behalf of the workers in
America. I believe it's the right thing to do, during this
national emergency.
But our government must act wisely, as well. We must
understand that our job is to help restore confidence in the future of
the country, in a way that is wise and sound. Buildings can
be rebuilt, and they will be. Transportation systems will be
invigorated, and they will be, as well. But the vitality of
our economy depends upon the willingness of Americans to spend, and for
Americans to start new businesses, to purchase new equipment, and to
invest in the future of this country. And I understand
that. And we're taking practical steps. And let
me share some of those with you.
We're supporting American aviation with money and loans, to make
sure the planes fly. We're also beefing up security at our
airports, to make sure people feel safe in flying. And we're
working with Congress to get a long-term law passed that will say to
the American consumer and the American flyer, this government is doing
everything in our power to secure the airways on your behalf.
As I mentioned, we're -- we've spent money on a supplemental to
rebuild New York City and the Pentagon. It's the right thing
to do. We've got SBA, the Small Business Administration,
helping small businesses in the areas impacted by the attacks from the
evil ones. We're paying for improved security at our post
offices. We're just beginning to secure the post offices in
a way -- you see, the post office, obviously, was set up as a way to
efficiently deliver mail, not understanding that someone would dare use
the mail as a weapon against America. And we're adjusting
quickly to the new realities that we face.
All this costs money, and we're spending it here in
Washington. And when the money we've committed is spent, we
believe it will have a positive effect on the economy. But
we must be careful not to overspend. There's a lot of good
ideas in Washington, and a lot of them cost a lot of money. And we
must be careful to assess our needs, and make sure we're cautious about
how we spend taxpayers' money. We believe the best way to
stimulate and restore confidence to the economy is not through
additional spending, but through tax relief.
Tax relief arrives quickly. If we can get a bill out of
both the House and the Senate, it will happen in quick
fashion. Unlike spending programs, we won't have to wait for
plans to be drafted, and contracts to be let. The tax relief
for new investment in the House stimulus package will go into effect as
soon as the bill is signed, if we can get it out of the
Senate. New lower tax rates for consumers and entrepreneurs
will show up in paychecks on the first day of the next year -- of the
new year, if we can get that passed out of the Senate. The
tax rebates for low and moderate income folks would begin to arrive
soon, if we can get it out of the Senate.
Tax relief will put money rapidly into the hands of
consumers. Tax relief will improve incentives to save and
invest, and will give a powerful boost to our national
economy. And tax relief is efficient. When we've
tried in the past to spend our way out of an economic slowdown, we have
found that the money has often been spent unwisely.
Tax relief, on the other hand, lets individuals decide for
themselves what they need most. Tax relief lets economic
resources flow to places where they can do the most good for the
country. The House's tax relief plan accelerates some income
tax reductions already planned for individuals and entrepreneurs and
small businesses. This will give people opportunity to make
decisions for themselves. And we've learned from experience
that free decisions are usually the best decisions for our economy as a
whole.
And third, and most important, tax relief will expand productive
investment. The House plan allows businesses to speed up the
expensing of new equipment. And it reforms the corporate tax
code, so that companies do not face higher effective rates, as their
profits decline. Together, these two changes will persuade
many companies that time has come to reinvest in
America. And when we invest in America, we create jobs for
American workers.
Tax relief is an essential step. But it's not the only
step we should take. We need an energy plan for
America. Under the leadership of the Vice President, we
drafted a comprehensive, common-sense plan for the future of this
country. It passed the House of
Representatives. It needs a vote in the United States
Senate.
Oh, I understand energy prices are low right now, thank
goodness. But that shouldn't lead our nation to
complacency. We need to be more self-reliant and
self-sufficient. It is in our nation's national interest
that we develop more energy supplies at home. It is in our
national interest that we look at safe nuclear power. It is
in our national interest that we conserve more. It is in our
national interest that we modernize the energy infrastructure of
America. It's in our national interest to get a bill to my
desk, and I urge the Senate to do so. (Applause.)
And we can restore economic confidence by expanding
trade. More open trade is essential to the growth of our
nation's economy. A part of our economic recovery program is
to give me the ability to negotiate trade agreements. I need
trade promotion authority to expand opportunity, for businesses large
and small, for entrepreneurs in America. I need trade
promotion authority to expand the job base of this great nation.
I'm the first President who hadn't had trade promotion
authority. I need it now. It's in our nation's
best interest that we have it. And it's in the best
interests of our world that we trade in freedom.
We have a chance to draw all the people into the world -- in the
world into an open market economy, and that will offer better living
standards, and more political freedom, and will enhance human dignity
all across our globe. And it's our nation's interest that
that happen.
Nobody is disqualified from an open world that trades
freely. No one will be disqualified by
religion. No one by nationality. No one will be
disqualified by geography. Our enemies fear this world
precisely because they know how attractive modernization is to the
oppressed people around the globe. Our enemies fear open
societies in which men and women can think for themselves, can decide
their own destinies, can decently support their own families, can
educate their sons and their daughters in a modern
world. Our enemies fear a society which is pluralistic and
open to worship an almighty God.
Our enemies are right to fear open societies, because those
societies leave no room for bigotry and tyranny. The promise
of our time has no room for the vision of the Taliban, or al Qaeda.
This is a time of promise for America. I'm incredibly
optimistic about this nation's future, because I understand America and
I understand the people of America. Franklin Roosevelt
warned us 70 years ago that fear feeds on itself and contributes to the
very problems that first gave it rise. America has prevailed
over fear in a Great Depression and in a global war, and we will do so
again.
The character of our country has not changed. Oh, the TV
sets have changed, the telephones have changed, the cars have changed,
but not the heart and soul of America. When they struck
America, they did not understand our nation. They did not
understand our resolve. They did not understand our
patience. They did not understand our will to win.
I want to thank the Business Council for coming and for joining
this war. All of us need to understand, it is now time to
plant the flag of freedom firmly in our nation and around the world,
because what we do today will determine whether or not our children and
our grandchildren can grow up in a life that we knew. What
we do today will determine how free America is for the
future. And we will not fail.
Thank you all for coming, and God bless.
END 3:06
P.M. EDT
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