Home > News & Policies > November 2003

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 21, 2003

	President's Remarks view listen

Remarks by the President Upon Arrival at the White House
The South Lawn

6:27 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Laura and I have just returned from Great Britain, where we had a fantastic trip. Her Majesty The Queen was a great host. Of course, we spent some time today in Tony Blair's constituency, which was -- not only a lot of fun -- but it was a chance to continue our dialogue about how to fight and defeat terror. We've got a special relationship with Great Britain. That relationship was reaffirmed during the last three days.

Back here at home, I'm pleased that the Congress passed the Healthy Forest Initiative, which will help us maintain our national treasure, our forests -- again, providing a common sense strategy, and making sure that the fire hazards that we've seen over the last couple of summers are mitigated as best as possible.

Secondly, I was pleased that House of Representatives passed an energy bill. This nation needs an energy bill. It needs an energy plan. A minority of senators are holding it up. For the sake of our national security and economic security, the Senate has got to pass this bill.

And finally, as you know, the Medicare legislation is -- will be debated tonight in the House of Representatives and eventually in the Senate. It is an important time for members of the U.S. Congress to honor our obligations to our seniors by providing a modern Medicare system, a system that includes prescription drugs and choices for our seniors. I urge the House and the Senate to pass this good piece of legislation.

We're glad to be home. It's good to see you all. Good night. Thank you. END 6:30 P.M. EST