For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 17, 2001
Radio Address by the President to the Nation
THE PRESIDENT: Good
morning. As you listen to me today I'm in Texas,
after a visit to Mexico, where I had a very good meeting
with President Vicente Fox. Members of Congress this holiday
weekend are in their states and districts. Soon we'll all
head back to Washington, with a lot of work
ahead of us.
The work begins with a responsible
budget. In Washington, people deal with trillions of
dollars, and sometimes can forget that every bit of it is
someone's earnings. My job is to make sure no
one forgets. We must be
good stewards of your tax dollars.
My budget will fund our
priorities, from education to defense to protecting Social
Security and Medicare. It will pay down our national
debt. And when we have done all that, we will still have
some money left over. I strongly believe we should return
that money, the leftover money, to you, the American people, in the
form of tax relief. It is, after all,
your money.
My tax relief plan is a fair one, lowering the
rate for all taxpayers. The typical family of four with two children
will get $1,600 in tax relief.
And the greatest benefits, the largest percentage reductions, will go
to those who need them most. My plan is
pro-growth. It gives our economy a jump-start by leaving
more money in the hands of those who have earned it.
My proposal to cut income taxes across the
board is now in the hands of Congress. Amid growing concern
over the economy and high energy costs, we're seeing a good deal of
bipartisan agreement that now is the time to reduce the tax burden and
slow the growth of government spending. In 10 days I'll be
taking this case in person to a joint session of Congress.
In addition to debt reduction and tax relief,
we have some other important priorities, including a bold proposal to
reform American education. Money isn't the whole
answer. High standards and accountability matter
most. But if we're serious about reforms, like early reading
and teacher training, testing on reading and math in every school, the
federal budget must reflect these commitments.
School districts don't need more vague
mandates from Washington. They do need clear goals and real
support. So my budget for the Department of Education will
have a higher percentage increase than any other federal
department. We'll pay for new testing programs and new
reading and intervention programs, and new choices for parents with
children in failing schools. We will spend more on our
public schools, but we're going to expect more in return, and this will
improve the lives of countless children.
Not long ago, agreement on debt reduction, tax
relief and education reform seemed impossible. But, today,
people in both parties are impatient with the status quo -- with high
debt, high tax bills, high energy bills and falling education
standards. This is our chance to act, and we cannot let it
pass.
If you happen to see your congressman or
senator home in your neighborhood this holiday weekend, I hope you'll
take time to thank him for working with me to reform public schools and
to give tax relief to everyone who pays taxes.
Thank you very much for listening.
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