For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 5, 2001
Remarks by the President and Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans at Swearing-In Ceremony
The Oval Office
2:32 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. Vice
President. It's great to be here with members of the
Congress, thank you all for coming. Senator, thank you,
sir. Two members of the Texas delegation are here and we
appreciate it very much for coming. I want to
thank you all for giving the Vice President and me a chance to come and
see the swearing-in of a really good man -- who married, by the way, a
person with whom I went to 1st through 7th grade -- (laughter) -- with
at Sam Houston Elementary School in Midland, Texas, and San Jacinto
Junior High. And when we were on safety patrol -- (laughter)
-- little did she ever imagine I'd be President. (Laughter.)
I want to thank all the good folks who work in
this Department. You don't know Don yet, but you're going to
love him like I do. I also want to thank you for your
service to the country. I appreciate your hard work on
behalf of America and the Americans citizens.
Don has taken an oath to serve this country,
and I know he'll be true to that oath in every way -- because in 25
years, I have never known him to break his word or forget a
promise. Don is the kind of man you can trust without
reservation and turn to without hesitation. He's a good man;
I trust and admire him a great deal.
Since we first met in West Texas, I have
turned to Don many times for help and advice. I've never
been disappointed. We were together in Midland, Texas, when
we set out in the oil business with big dreams for ourselves and our
families. We were together in Austin, Texas, seven years
ago, when I began serving the people of Texas. He was there
on our journey that led to the Presidency.
At every turn, Don has always been a wise and
strong and steady influence. I thank him for taking this
assignment. I am proud to call him my Secretary of
Commerce. I'm honored to call him my friend. He
has his work cut out for him. We came to Washington with a
bold agenda. And we don't intend to waste any time.
Don shares with me a conviction that open
trade is a powerful force for good in the world. In all our
dealings abroad, we must stand for free markets and for the principles
of democracy. We must stand for free and open trade, without
favoritism and without barriers. We have set a great goal, a
world that trades in freedom. And that goal will take all of
our commitment.
Secretary Evans has a mission to represent to
America's interests in the world. Many American industries
and our farmers have met with unfair practices as they try to export
their goods to foreign markets. In Don, they'll have an
advocate who carries with him knowledge of trade, proven skill as a
negotiator and the full support of the President.
It helps, too, that the new Secretary of
Commerce has a background in energy. Our nation's economy
depends on the fossil fuels that keep our engines
running. And we must be less dependent on foreign
suppliers. Along with my Secretary of Energy, Spence Abraham, Don will
help me in pursuing a strategy of increased domestic production and
energy independence. Don is a key part of my economic
team. We're going to make the case for broad, fair and
responsible tax reductions. We're going to respect and
reward the spirit of entrepreneurship in our country, helping small
businesses as they expand and provide employment. We are
going to make sure that American workers can find quality jobs in our
American landscape.
I can't think of a better background for
Commerce Secretary than a West Texan with a creed of hard work and
independence and enterprise. Don has always represented
those qualities for me; now he will represent those qualities for
America.
Mr. Secretary. (Applause.)
SECRETARY EVANS: Mr. President,
thank you. I didn't know my mother was one of your speech
writers. (Laughter.)
Thank you for those kind
words. Senator Hutchison, thank you for being
here. Congressman Barton, Senator Stevens -- thank you very
much, I'm honored that you would be here for this.
Mr. President, thank you for your kind words,
your call to service, your commitment to free enterprise, free and fair
trade around the world. Vice President Cheney, thank you also for
those kind words. It looks like my mother may have been
helping you a little bit, too. (Laughter.)
I'm honored and humbled to lead the Department
of Commerce, a true national treasure. After two weeks on
the job, I realize that I have a lot to learn.
But one thing that I have learned is that the
real treasures in this great Department are the people who work
here. You're looking, Mr. President, at some of the members
of this team right now. But there are thousands more who
will implement your agenda every day, and they are doing a great job as
they implement your agenda.
Let me say that if this Department is not
accomplishing your mission, you only need to look at one
person: me. And I'm sure you will. (Laughter.)
Kathy Card, thank you very much for that
invocation. I'd like to add by drawing from Proverbs
29:18. "Where there is no vision, the people
perish." My great friend in life, President George W. Bush,
has a vision for America. He has a vision for this
Department.
It is a vision where our e-commerce
entrepreneurs are free from excessive regulation, so that they can
dream and build. We look forward to leading the
administration's e-commerce efforts, by our activities at NTIA, at
NIST, at PTO, EDA, MBDA. I'm getting used to these acronyms
now in Washington. (Laughter.)
It is a vision of prosperity that comes from
free and fair trade. We will make sure that our nation's
trade agreements are effectively enforced, and our security is
protected, as ITA and BXA implement the President's trade policy.
It is a vision where the forgotten middle
class keeps more of what they earn. As the President's economic team
works to implement your agenda, they can rely on accurate data from
ESA. And they can count on sound science from NOAA, where we
will strive to accurately gauge climate change and forecast the
weather.
Right now the dark clouds are not only in the
weather data, but in the economic data: an anemic 1.4
percent fourth quarter growth rate. The President's proposed
tax cut is more than just fair and responsible. It is
timely, and it is necessary.
Advancing economic certainty, Mr. President,
will be the mission of your Department of Commerce. Our
e-commerce leaders can make plans secure in the knowledge that we will
provide guidelines with certainty. Our economic team can
implement your economic policy with data that is reliable and
certain. Our trading partners can know we will enforce our
trade agreements with certainty.
And our weather forecasts, Mr. President -- we
can't do everything with absolute
certainty. (Laughter.) But Mr. President, I look
forward to leading this great national treasure, the Department of
Commerce, in implementing your vision for America.
I thank all of you for being here, and God
bless you. (Applause.)
END
2:40 P.M. EST
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