For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 24, 2001
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
Listen to the Briefing
- Personnel Announcements
- President's Meeting with House and Senate Leaders
- Taiwan/Weapon Sales
- Aegis/Deferral
- Lebanon
- Tax Relief
- The President's First Fundraiser/Future Fundraising
- Flooding/FEMA
- Argentina
- Japan/Junichiro Koizumi
- Electoral Reform
- Peru/Shooting Down of Plane
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- The President's Approval Ratings
- USS Greeneville Collision
12:19 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon. I have four
nominations to announce today. The President intends to
nominate Richard Henry Jones to be Ambassador to the State of
Kuwait. The President intends to nominate James G. Roche to
be Secretary of the Air Force. The President intends to
nominate Thomas White to be Secretary of the Army. The
President intends to nominate Gordon England to be Secretary of the
Navy.
And
with that, I'm happy to take your questions.
Q What
did the President tell the leaders?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President made the case that, number one,
it's very important that we come to an agreement on the budget because
of the state of the economy, the worsening state of the economy, and
his desire to make certain that American people get tax relief so that
consumers can be protected in this difficult economic
time. He urged them to move as quickly as is possible, and
is pleased with the action and the pace of Congress up to this point.
Now, the
House and the Senate will meet and we will await their action, but it's
increasingly clear that tax relief will soon be on the way.
Q Does
he really think that that's going to put the economy back in stride
again? MR. FLEISCHER: Actually, the more you look at some of the
private sector forecasts, what they anticipate growth to be at the
later part of the year. Much of their forecasting is,
indeed, based on an assumption that Congress will cut taxes, which is
one of the reasons that the private sector does believe there will be
an uptake at the end of the year. So, failure to get it done
would clearly be detrimental to the economy and to the consumer.
Q Ari,
even though it has not been officially announced as yet, it now appears
that Taiwan will not be getting the four Arleigh Burke-class
destroyers. And despite the rhetoric to the contrary, China
must be pleased of this. Because of that, have there been
any new overtures about getting the EP3 released? And is the
President going to announce, or has he announced, the resumption of the
surveillance flights?
MR.
FLEISCHER: On that topic, I have nothing new to
report. We continue to have discussions with China, but
there is nothing -- no new developments, nothing new I can report.
Q Ari,
in the meeting today, was there a negotiation or discussion with the
Republican leaders about how large the tax cut should be?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Yes, and the President made the case that it
should be as large as possible, as close to $1.6 trillion as possible.
Q But
they all know that. So, I mean, did he give any kind of
indication that he would go lower than that if he had to, or what did
he tell them that was new about the tax cut?
MR.
FLEISCHER: His message was that he -- that the American
people should get a tax cut as large as possible, as close to $1.6
trillion as possible. And the President pointed out to the
members of Congress that the smaller the tax cut, the more money will
be on the table in Washington where it will be spent.
Q Just
to follow up on Taiwan, how important a factor are China's missile
deployments along the coast as a factor in considering what kinds of
weapons to sell?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Jim, when the President made his decision on
providing defensive weapons to Taiwan, it was based on his assessment
and the assessment of his national security team about the threat that
is posed to Taiwan by China. And that includes all the
military operations of China, including the missiles that are located
across the strait. That certainly was a factor.
Q Are
the missiles in particular the biggest concern?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm not prepared to give an indication, in a
linear sense, which came first -- which concern came
first. But suffice it to say that under the Taiwan Relations
Act, the United States has a responsibility to provide Taiwan with
defensive weapons, as indicated by their needs. Their needs
are defined by the threat posed against them.
Q Let
me ask you a little differently, if I may. What could the
Chinese do, in future deployments, to affect U.S. decisions about
weapons sales to Taiwan?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Secure peaceful resolution of all differences
between China and Taiwan. And that would include lessening
the military presence that China has against Taiwan. China
has reserved the right, as they say it, to use force. And
that indicates a certain level of threat against Taiwan.
Q Ari,
you just spoke of this package, again, as a defensive
package. Are you getting defensive on this issue, or are
these really, truly defensive-only weapons?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, actually I was just looking at the wire
stories, and there's a story on one of the wires about -- quoting a
group of military analysts, and analyzing the sale, and it's their
words, as well. I'm describing it the way it
is. It is a package to help Taiwan provide for its
defense. So, accurate description.
Q You
obviously know the Chinese are very sharply differed with you,
especially on the submarines.
MR.
FLEISCHER: We differ.
Q Can
you elaborate what's in the full package -- what is in the package,
since you haven't said that yet?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Under what the President has advised on the
Taiwanese, these aren't the complete details, but the United States
will be providing up to eight diesel submarines, four Kidd-class
destroyers, 12 P-3s. There's a series of other
items. That's the heart of the package.
Q Ari,
do you have a time limit for how long the Taiwanese have to decide what
they want and what they can afford to buy?
MR.
FLEISCHER: You may want to talk specifically to DOD if
there's an actual date of a time line, but now this is an offering of
what the United States will make available to Taiwan. Taiwan
must now make up its own -- make its own determinations about which of
these items they want to proceed and purchase. And that will
be an ongoing, unofficial dialogue.
Q How
do you handle the submarine question? Isn't that problematic
because we don't actually make those submarines, but we're offering to
sell them submarines? Where do we get them?
MR.
FLEISCHER: This is the beginning of the process again, and
obviously, the United States would not have indicated that they would
be available to provide to Taiwan if we didn't believe that we had the
means to secure their production. And that's an operational
fact of how a sale will take place. The United States is
confident that's an addressable point.
Q Can
you shed any light on the operational details of how we would get subs
to them that we don't now make?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Through normal contracting procedures and
production procedures.
Q So
we would start out fresh on some production line, is that the --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, that's an operational detail about a sale
of an item. So I think we need to first hear back from the
Taiwanese about which items they're prepared to buy, and then really
that becomes a production, procurement issue.
Q As
a formality -- has China been informed -- as a formality?
MR.
FLEISCHER: This decision is -- inform to Taiwan, and that's
the level of communication.
Q So
it has not been informed?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think they've heard about
it. (Laughter.)
Q Ari,
they've raised serious concern about it. So is this
administration concerned as well, but this decision, even though you
say it's separate from the standoff with Beijing over the surveillance
plane, could make relations even tenser than they are now?
MR.FLEISCHER: Kelly,
the President believes very strongly that the best way to promote peace
and stability is to make certain that Taiwan has the means necessary to
secure its defense needs. And this decision was made on the
President's determination on how best to secure the peace and to
provide Taiwan with the means necessary to defend itself. In
that sense, it's a stabilizing action.
Q Do
you care at all about China's reaction to the arms sale?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As you know, the United States has a longstanding
commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act to help provide the
means necessary to defend itself.
Q But
do you care at all about China's reaction?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Of course, relations with China are at all times
very important. Relations with Taiwan are
important. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States
took the action the President deemed was the proper and appropriate
reaction to take. And when you look at the reaction coming
from Capitol Hill, for example -- I think you just heard Majority
Leader Lott say this was a prudent course of action, you've heard
Congressman DeLay, you've heard many other Republican members, Democrat
members express support for the President's determinations.
I remind
you, this is an annual process, and the President made his decisions
based on what he viewed as Taiwan's legitimate defense needs, and I
think he's taken the action he deemed proper.
Q Ari,
on Aegis, is this deferral -- has a decision been deferred in a
time-specific way, which is to say, will it be considered again next
year, or will it simply be dictated by how you all deem and others deem
the security environment there?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Dave, the way the process works, is, Taiwan
always has the right to come back and request and suggest the United
States will again take that into consideration. It will be
part of, as I indicated, an ongoing, unofficial dialogue.
Q Well,
could that happen before next year?
MR.
FLEISCHER: My advice to you is to focus on the announcements
as it's been made and that's the course of action that the President
anticipates will be pursued.
Q Well,
have you heard from China yet?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, as I indicated this morning, it's best to
address that question directly to the State Department.
Q Why?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Because I'm not aware of any direct White House
--
Q You
made the decision here.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm not aware of any direct White House
contacts.
Q Ari,
on Lebanon, could you give us a feel on how the Lebanese meeting went,
and also Shimon Peres is supposed to have some secret meetings this
weekend with Palestinian Authority members. Can you give us
any more detail on that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm sorry, ask me that about Peres
again? I was --
Q There's
a report that Peres is coming in this weekend for meetings with
officials from the Palestinian Authority.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Okay. I don't have anything for you on
Peres. Let me see if there's anything on that. The
President today welcomed the Lebanese Prime Minister to the White
House. They had a very constructive meeting, reflecting the
close bilateral relationships that exist between our two
countries. They discussed the Prime Minister's efforts to
address Lebanon's economic situation.
The
President emphasized his support for the Prime Minister's reform
efforts for an economically strong Lebanon. The President
believes that an economically strong Lebanon will be a force for
stability and peace in the Middle East. And they're going to
stay in close contact on that.
They also
agreed on the need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation of
the violence and to work for an end -- to end the violence and restore
calm.
Q Did
the President express any concern about Syria's control of Lebanon?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That really is all the readout I have at this
point. Let me see if I can give you any more later.
Q Ari,
when you say the President was looking for as much tax relief as
possible -- I don't know if those were your exact words -- when he's
talking to these people who are on the Conference Committee or
controlling it, does that mean that he believes that his tax cut of
$1.6 trillion could pass the Senate next time around, even though it
didn't the previous time?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think it's fair to say his $1.6-trillion tax
cut could pass the House next time around. Whether it could
pass the Senate or not is a different matter. And, clearly,
every time you go into a conference, the Senate has one number, the
House has another number, you typically end up somewhere -- somewhere
in between the two numbers. And that's what the conference
will be about.
The
conference will be about not only the tax number, of course, but it
will also be a reflection of how much more money this government is
going to spend on bigger government. And it is a crucial
part of this conference. And the members of Congress who are
aware of it, and the President's concerns, given the vast increases in
government spending for the last three years, that it not be added to
in any further ways above and beyond what is necessary to fund our
vital priorities.
Q And,
also, was education mentioned during this meeting? Did he
discuss possible compromises on that, maybe more money for --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Education was discussed, but the purpose of the
meeting was not to resolve the education negotiations that are underway
on the Hill. That's being pursued by a different group of
lawmakers.
Q Ari,
the President is going to be attending, I think, tomorrow his first
fundraiser as the President. Given his message and intention
of being a bipartisan President and setting a new tone, it's not even
100 days yet. Is it a little too early to be doing this for
the next election?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I thought you were going to ask me if, in the
spirit of bipartisanship, he was going to go to Democrat fundraisers.
(Laughter.)
Q It
was -- MR. FLEISCHER: The President is going to help raise money for
people who will support his agenda of improving education by voting for
more accountability, he will allow people to keep more money in their
pockets for tax relief and he won't go on spending
sprees. That's why the President participates in these
events; it's how he can get his agenda enacted into law.
I discussed
with the President this morning the coverage decision. The
President wants to be certain that you have access to the
event. It will be open to pool coverage.
Q Would
he rule out doing a fundraiser for a Democrat who is particularly
supportive of his policy?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I have not discussed it with
him. (Laughter.) And we will leave that tantalizingly
opened.
Q Ari,
on flooding, yesterday the FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh said it's not
fair for the American taxpayer to have to keep time in and time out,
paying for the rebuilding of these areas that are repeatedly struck by
floods. Can you elaborate on that? What is the
position of the administration on these areas that are repeatedly hit
by floods?
MR.
FLEISCHER: There are laws in place to help protect people
who happen to suffer from natural disasters. And as FEMA
Director Allbaugh also indicated, that there has been a series of steps
taken by residents in the community to protect themselves, to prevent
their regions from being flooded once again. There have been
a series of floods along the Mississippi River in the past, and it's a
real sign of progress being made by local officials if they have put
resources into their local communities to prevent similar repeats.
Many of
these communities face choices about the actions they can take, and I
think that's a reflection of what the Director was talking about.
Q Administration
officials tell us that the FEMA Director and the administration would
like to pressure some communities, such as Davenport, to take further
steps to protect themselves. Can you tell us how you might
pressure these communities and what your message is to them?
MR.
FLEISCHER: There was no discussion in the meeting that
Director Allbaugh had with the President about pressuring communities,
Davenport included.
Q But
what is your message?
MR.
FLEISCHER: There was no discussion about that in the meeting
with the President?
Q Then,
what is your message to communities like Davenport that have decided
not to build the flood wall?
MR.
FLEISCHER: There was no discussion of that in the meeting
with the President. The discussion with the President was
about how to protect communities. So I'm not aware of the
premise of your question. It was not a topic of the
Director's meeting with the President.
Q Do
you have a message, then, for communities such as Davenport that have
not done as much as others?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The message is, as Director Allbaugh indicated
yesterday, that the United States government stands by and stands ready
to help if necessary.
Q Ari,
this morning, on Argentina, you said the Argentinean government hasn't
asked the U.S. for bilateral economic assistance. Have they
asked for U.S. support for any expanded, multilateral assistance?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No. Let me take a look at that and see
if there's anything on multilat.
Q Ari,
do you have any comment on the election of the new Japanese leader,
Junichiro Koizumi, who calls for the radical reform of the Japanese
economy?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Of course, he's been elected the leader of his
party. There remains another step until he becomes the prime
minister. The United States will, at all times, look forward to
working closely with Japan. Japan is a very important ally
to this country, and whoever the Japanese select to lead their
government, the President will look forward to working closely with.
Q Is
the President willing to meet with him in the near future?
MR.
FLEISCHER: We'll keep you advised, of course.
Q Ari,
does the President plan to exempt the Navy from federal noise pollution
laws in order to conduct training exercises on Vieques?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't have anything for you on that yet, so let
me see if we have anything new and let me talk with DOD about that as
well.
Q Ari?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Les, it's not your moment yet. Let me
come to you. A new
approach. (Laughter.) But we will come to you.
Q Thank
you very much. I have a two-part question, Ari.
Q Can
I follow up?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Yes, sir. How many parts?
Q Just
one. Has the President issued, or will he issue, any kind of
guidelines for his Cabinet members on how -- what kind of fundraising
they can do, how they can use their offices and government facilities
to do that fundraising, or any parameters for his own activities in
that regard?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The guidelines will be, the President does
believe it's appropriate for Cabinet members to help elect people who
will pass and will promote -- pass the President's
agenda. Any actions will be taken, as the President
indicated on day one of this administration, if you will recall, at an
event in the East Room, the President talked about the importance of
all members of this administration following all ethics laws and all
actions they take should be in accordance with those laws.
Q Does
he believe the activities by Secretary Thompson where the --
fundraisers were brought to his office for a legislative update was the
proper use?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Secretary of HHS received word from his counsel
that his actions were in accordance with all the provisions of the
law.
Q Ari,
can I follow up on that? What about inviting donors into the
White House to have coffee sessions, and also what about use of the
Lincoln Bedroom? Has the President thought about those at
all? MR.
FLEISCHER: The President said repeatedly last year that if
he were elected, he would bring honor and integrity to the White House,
and I think you'll be able to judge all his actions in that
context. Any actions that the President takes to support
members of his party who are running for office - and he will take
actions to support members of his party who run for office -- will be
done in accordance with the laws and in accordance with this high
standard of ethics.
Q But
has he, then, ruled out White House coffees and ruled out inviting
donors to use the Lincoln Bedroom?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President will, of course, have his family,
will have his friends to the White House. But he will not
make the White House a program that is available to contributors in
return for contributions. At no times would the President
ever take such a step.
Q Has
he had guests in the Lincoln Bedroom?
MR.
FLEISCHER: He's probably had his -- I don't know about the
Lincoln Bedroom, John. I know the President has had family
and friends to the White House, as he did in the Governor's mansion, as
he did in his private homes.
Q Ari,
on electoral reform, the House begins hearings tomorrow. But
a lot of the states say that the only way anything's going to get done
is if they get some money to improve their systems. But
since there's no money in the budget, how do you anticipate that
there's going to be reforms in the electoral system?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, not all reforms require
money. But those reforms that require money that the
President deems meritorious, he'll be open-minded about. For
example, the question of making certain that communities don't have old
machines, that the machines are able to work and be
operative. I think the President is prepared to listen to
good ideas and to work with Congress on matters pertaining to that.
But
questions about military voters not being allowed to vote, having their
absentee ballots thrown out, that's not a question of funding, that's a
question of protecting the rights of men and women who serve in the
military, to have their votes counted.
The
questions of felons voting, for example, in contravention to state
law. That's an enforcement matter that the President
believes needs to be looked at. The matter of networks
calling elections before the elections are over, and therefore
discouraging voters from turning out because they think it's already
done, that the election has been decided, so why should they
vote. That certainly doesn't require a penny of federal
money. That requires good judgment and discretion by the
networks.
So the
President is determined to work with the Congress to secure elections
reforms. He'll be open-minded about the question of
funding. But not everything requires funding to get
solutions.
Q How
do you plan to proceed at this point? I mean, is he going to
actively pursue any of this?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, as you know, there is a National Commission
on Federal Election Reform that is looking at a number of these
issues. It's a blue ribbon group. It's comprised of a group
of very senior leaders and statesmen: Howard Baker, Lloyd
Cutler, for example. They're working on it. And
Congress, even though it doesn't have a special committee, certainly
still can make progress on election reform. You don't need
to always have a new committee to get things done in
Congress. So the President's position is very clear, and the
President hopes that progress can be made on election reform
issues. He thinks it's important.
Q Ari,
can we expect to hear him speak out directly on this? As you were
asked this morning, a number of Democrats have sent a letter asking the
President to show guidance and leadership on this. The White
House wrote back and said, we'll have further details for you later.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Sure, the President --
Q This
was April 4th; they still haven't heard those details.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Sure, no, the President has spoken out about it.
The President has spoken about it publicly. He's spoken
about it in meetings with members of Congress from both parties, in the
Cabinet Room, located right down the hall. So the President
has spoken out. He'll continue to speak out. And
his position is very clear. Congress also has
responsibilities to act, and to act in a way that looks forward, so
that we can solve some of the problems that were brought to people's
attention as a result of the last election.
Q Since
he knows firsthand about this issue, does he plan any personal
initiatives on it himself, as it again goes before the Congress?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, again, the President has personally
discussed his initiatives and his desires with members of
Congress. He has spoken with the Speaker about it and he
has spoken with members of the Congress about it, in meetings, as I
indicated. He's taken your questions on it. He's
been very clear about it.
Q I
have a foreign question. The Peruvian government is
disputing the version put out by the American government on the
shooting down of the civilian plane. They claim that they
did follow guidelines. I know there is an investigation
going on by both governments. Who is keeping the President
informed of how the investigation is going?
MR.
FLEISCHER: His national security team, which is coordinated,
of course, as you know, by Condoleezza Rice.
Mr.
Kinsolving, it's Kinsolving time. (Laughter.)
Q Thank
you. Regarding -- page one of The New York Times this
morning quotes an unidentified senior administration official as
saying, in connection with the no Aegis destroyers decision, there was
no link to the EP3E incident. And my question, you would
never make such an unbelievable statement, would you
Ari? (Laughter.) And since the mainline Chinese
still hold our $80-million plane, why don't we give free China what it
needs most, to deter those U.S. plane thieves and
kidnappers? (Laughter.) And I have a follow-up.
MR.
FLEISCHER: You know, Mr. Kinsolving, every morning I pick up
those papers and I just scratch my head and wonder who those background
people are.
Q Well,
it's not you? It wasn't you, was it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: -- unnamed officials, your guess is as good as
mine.
Q Three
years ago Congress passed, and President Clinton signed, public law
105-154, which requires -- and this is a quote -- any reference in a
law, map, regulation, document, paper or other record of the United
States that the Washington National Airport shall hereafter be known
and designated as the Ronald Reagan Washington National
Airport. And my question is, what is the President's
reaction to Democrats in Congress or on local boards who are refusing
to obey this law on the Metro, and what does he plan to do about it in
his constitutional obligation "to take care that the laws be faithfully
executed"? Even Connie Morella is opposed to that rule.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Obviously, the President thinks very, very highly
of Ronald Reagan.
Q What's
he going to do about it, Ari?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I believe this is one of those issues that you're
going to see will be addressed and will be worked out by the Congress.
They have the purview over this at this time and I do not imagine this
will be an issue which pits people against each other. I
think it would be unfortunate if people were pitted against each other
at a time when people should be honoring Ronald Reagan.
Q Thank
you, Ari, for that time.
Q Ari,
there is a Dutch company, ASML, would like to take over Silicon Valley
Graphics, which is a U.S. company. There are national
security implications. A Treasury committee has forwarded a
recommendation. Apparently, only President Bush can make the
call on whether this transaction will go through.
I'm
wondering, can you give us an idea of what's in that
recommendation? And, also, when will the President make that
decision? And the follow-up question is, did Andy Grove of Intel lobby
the President in favor of this acquisition?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me take your question and try to get back to
you. I don't know about that.
Q A
poll out this morning shows that people give the President fairly high
approval ratings, but also shows that they question his
priorities. What is the view in the White House of what
impact that has, what's your sense of that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, Jim, the White House is very pleased with
the public perceptions of the President. The President has,
since a very close election, built a governing coalition, a bipartisan
one that has won the praise of most Americans, particularly independent
Americans and, obviously, the Republican Party and many, many
Democrats, as well.
As far as
his priorities, they certainly do seem to be the priorities of the
American people, protecting and improving education and providing tax
relief for the American people. Those are his top two
priorities. Those also seem to be shared by the American
people.
Q It's
-- tax cuts, if I remember correctly, is seventh down on the list,
while it would no doubt be in the top three for the President. Does
that make it more difficult for the President to sell his policies to
Congress?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No. The President does what he does
because he thinks it's the right thing to do. And that's the
basis on which he makes his decisions. It's called
leadership, and that's why he has proposed it. I think often when you
look at these surveys, depending how the questions are asked, and
depending on the order in which they're in, you can get many different
reactions to questions about priorities.
Q Do
you have any more information on whether the Germans or the Dutch, who
produced the subs, were consulted on the Taiwan arms sale?
MR.
FLEISCHER: On the question of, again, who was going to be
building submarines, or providing plans for submarines, those are part
of procurement decisions, contracting decisions, that will get made
down the road. It would not be appropriate to make those
decisions or consultations prior to the announcement to the Taiwanese
of the weapons that we were prepared to sell to them.
Q How
are you trying to harness public opinion on the state of the economy,
to try to convince Congress to pass the largest-possible tax cut?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, members of Congress hear it themselves.
It's the best way for members of Congress to hear public opinion, is to
go home, and they do. And when they're home, they've heard
from their constituents about the state of the economy, and how soft it
is, particularly in the high-tech sector, and the manufacturing
sector.
The biggest
area of strength that remains in the economy comes from the consumer
sector. And that's why the economists believe that securing
tax relief is vital to making certain that the consumer sector doesn't
follow the manufacturing or the high tech sector into
decline. So that's a message that member of Congress receive
when they go home.
Q Hi. About
U.S. submarine collision case -- the Japanese families of victims are
not satisfied with the Navy decision; they do not send to the courtmartial. The families demand a full
investigation. Do you think that the Navy's decision may
damage to U.S.-Japan relationship?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President remains very, very interested in
making sure that relations with Japan remain strong. As you
know, he has expressed his condolences to the families who were
affected by the accident involving the Greeneville. And he
believes that relations will remain strong with Japan.
Q Senator
Lott appeared very optimistic that a tax bill could be enacted by the
4th of July recess. I just wondered if the White House
shares that confidence that you will get both a long-term cut and a
retroactive cut by then?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, certainly the timing is up to the
Congress. The President cannot convene a conference
committee. The President cannot schedule a vote on the
floor. So any statements made, of course, by Senator Lott,
are welcome, as far as the timing.
But what's
so important in providing tax relief to the American people is that it
be done soon, because of the economic downturn that we're
in. The ability to get money into people's hands now is
terribly important to prevent the economy from getting into worse shape
later. And that's why prompt congressional action is helpful
to the economy and to the consumers.
Q What's
your view of making -- just while we're on taxes -- capital gains part
of the tax cut that's retroactive? Senator Lott has broached
that idea a couple times.
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President's view remains unchanged, Keith.
The President views this tax bill as a bill that should first be
focused on people, not on other items, not on business items, as he
said before. That's the President's view.
Thank you.
END
12:48 P.M. EDT
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