President Bush Calls on Congress to Act on Nation's Priorities
Army National Guard Aviation Support Facility
Trenton, New Jersey
10:15 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks a lot for coming out this morning. It is my
honor to be -- it is my honor to be back in New Jersey. I want to
thank you all for coming out. I want to thank the people of the New
Jersey Army and Air National Guard for your hospitality. (Applause.)
I'm here to talk about how best to make America a stronger country, a
safer country, and a better country for all of us. (Applause.)
There is an old bridge over the Delaware River that says: Trenton
makes, the world takes. (Applause.) It talks about the work ethic of
the people of this part of our country, it talks about the creativity,
it talks about the true strength of America. The true strength of
America are our fellow citizens. The strength of our country is the
people of America. And I'm honored to be with such hardworking people.
(Applause.)
Congress can help. Congress needs to work hard before they go
home. Congress needs to get some things done, which means a homeland
security department, a budget that reflects our priorities. They've
got to make sure they don't overspend your money. They've got to
remember, everything they do must go to make sure America is a stronger
and safer and better place. (Applause.)
I want to thank Brigadier General Glenn Rieth for opening up this
hangar and for inviting me to this base. I want to thank all the Guard
personnel who serve the United States of America. I want to thank you
for your service, I want to thank you for your sacrifice. (Applause.)
I want to thank your governor for being here today. I appreciate
Governor McGreevey being at the steps of Air Force One. I'm thankful
for his hospitality. I appreciate him coming to say, hello, and I'm
honored he's here today to hear this speech. Governor, thank you for
coming.
I appreciate members of the congressional delegation. Congressmen
Ferguson, Saxton and Smith from New Jersey, thank you all for being
here. (Applause.) I want to thank Bob Prunetti who is the Mercer
County Executive, for greeting me here, as well. And I want to thank
you all for coming.
Here's what's on my mind: I want our people to work here in
America. Any time somebody who wants to work can't find a job, it
means we've got a problem in this country. And we will not rest until
people can find work. A stronger America means a strong economy. A
stronger country means that our good, hardworking Americans are able to
put food on the table for their families.
Now, we're making progress. Listen, interest rates are low,
inflation is low, we've got the best workers in the world. We've got
the best, hardest workers and smartest workers in the world. We've got
the ingredients for growth. But what has taken place so far is not
good enough for me. And I hope it's not good enough for the Congress.
What's happening in the economy is not good enough for a stronger
America. And Congress can help.
Listen, I come from the school of thought that says, if you've got
an economic problem -- and remember, for the first three quarters of my
administration we were in negative growth; the stock market started to
decline in March of 2000; economic growth started to slow down in the
summer of 2000; we were in recession in the first three quarters of
2001.
In order to make sure the country was stronger, I pulled this page
out of the economic textbook, the page that says, if you let people
keep more of their own money, they're going to spend it on a good or a
service. If they spend it on a good or a service, somebody will
produce the good and service. And if somebody produces a good or
service, some American is more likely to find work. The tax relief
came right at the right time for economic growth and jobs. (Applause.)
And if Congress wants to help in job creation, they need to make
the tax relief permanent. They need to make the tax relief permanent
so our New Jersey small businesses and entrepreneurs can plan for the
future. After all, most growth of new jobs comes from small businesses
all across America.
Congress also must understand they've got to pass an energy bill.
You see, an energy bill will be good for jobs. An energy bill will be
good for national security. We need an energy bill that encourages
consumption [sic], encourages new technologies so our cars are cleaner,
encourages new renewable energy sources, but at the same time
encourages increase of supply here at home, so we're less dependent on
foreign sources of crude oil. (Applause.)
Congress needs to get some work done before they go home. And one
of the most important things they can do is to pass an anti-terrorism
insurance bill. See, we need an insurance bill to cover potential
terrorist acts, so that hard hats in America can get back to work. And
I want a bill on my desk that says we care more about the working
people and less about the trial lawyers. We want a bill that puts the
hard hats back to work, not enriches the trial lawyers here in
America. (Applause.)
In order to make sure our country is stronger and our economy
grows, Congress must be wise with your money. Notice I said "your
money." When it comes time to budgeting and appropriations, which
means spending, sometimes in Washington they forget whose money they're
talking about. You hear them talking about the government's money.
No, the money in Washington is not the government's money, the money in
Washington is your money. And we better be careful about how we spend
your money. And if Congress overspends, it's going to a problem for
making America's economy continue to grow. And so my message to
Congress is: remember whose money you're spending.
Now, one of the problems we have is that any time you're worried
about spending, you set a budget. That's what you do. The Senate
hasn't been able to do so. They don't have a budget, which means it's
likely they're going to overspend. See, every idea in Washington is a
good idea. Everybody's idea sounds good, except the price tag is
generally in the billions. In order to make sure the country is
stronger, we need fiscal responsibility in Washington, D.C. We need to
make sure that Congress does not overspend. Without a budget, they're
likely to overspend.
They set deadlines on you, when it comes to paying your IRS, paying
your taxes. There ought to be a deadline on them in order to get a
budget passed and to get bills passed. Now, because they haven't been
able to move, they're going to send my desk soon what looks like what
they call a temporary spending bill. And that temporary spending bill
should not be an excuse for excessive federal spending. The temporary
spending bill ought to remember whose money they're spending. A
temporary spending bill ought to be clean, so that we don't overspend
as the economy is trying to continue to grow. What we need in
Washington is fiscal responsibility, fiscal sanity. We need to set
priorities with your money. And the most important priority I have is
to defend the homeland; is to defend the homeland from a bunch of
killers who hate America. (Applause.)
It's very important for the school children here to listen to what
I'm about to say. You're probably wondering why America is under
attack. And you need to know why. We're under attack because we love
freedom, is why we're under attack. And our enemy hates freedom. They
hate and we love. They hate the thought that this country is a country
in which people from all walks of life can worship and almighty God any
way he or she fits. They hate the thought that we have honest and open
discourse. They hate the thought that we're a beacon of liberty and
freedom.
We differ from our enemy because we love. We not only love our
freedoms and love our values, we love life, itself. In America,
everybody matters, everybody counts, every human life is a life of
dignity. And that's not the way our enemy thinks. Our enemy hates
innocent life; they're willing to kill in the name of a great
religion. (Applause.) And as long as we love freedom and love liberty
and value every human life, they're going to try to hurt us. And so
our most important job is to defend the freedom, defend the homeland --
is to make sure what happened on September the 11th doesn't happen
again, we must do everything we can -- everything in our power -- to
keep America safe.
There are a lot of good people working hard to keep you safe.
There are people at the federal level and at the state level, a lot of
fine folks here at the local level, doing everything we can to run down
every lead. If we find any kind of hint, we're moving on it -- all
within the confines and all within the structure of the United States
Constitution. We're chasing down every possible lead because we
understand there's an enemy out there which hates America.
I asked the Congress to work with me to come up with a new
Department of Homeland Security, to make sure that not only can this
administration function better, but future administrations will be able
to deal with the true threats we face as we get into the 21st century.
A homeland security department which takes over the hundred different
agencies and brings them under one umbrella so that there's a single
priority and a new culture, all aimed at dealing with the threats.
I mean, after all, on our border we need to know who's coming into
America, what they're bringing into America, are they leaving when
they're supposed to be leaving America. (Applause.) Yet, when you
look at the border, there are three different federal agencies dealing
with the border: there is Customs and INS and Border Patrol. And
sometimes they work together and sometimes they don't -- they don't.
They've got different work rules. They've got different customs.
Sometimes they have different strategies. And that's not right.
So I asked Congress to give me the flexibility necessary to be able
to deal with the true threats of the 21st century by being able to move
the right people to the right place at the right time, so we can better
assure America we're doing everything possible. The House responded,
but the Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington
and not interested in the security of the American people. I will not
accept a Department of Homeland Security that does not allow this
President, and future Presidents, to better keep the American people
secure. (Applause.)
And people are working hard in Washington to get it right in
Washington, both Republicans and Democrats. See, this isn't a partisan
issue. This is an American issue. This is an issue which is vital to
our future. It'll help us determine how secure we'll be.
Senator Gramm, a Republican, Senator Miller, a Democrat, are
working hard to bring people together. And the Senate must listen to
them. It's a good bill. It's a bill I can accept. It's a bill that
will make America more secure. And anything less than that is a bill
which I will not accept, it's a bill which I will not saddle this
administration and future administrations with allowing the United
States Senate to micro-manage the process. The enemy is too quick for
that. We must be flexible, we must be strong, we must be ready to take
the enemy on anywhere he decides to hit us, whether it's America or
anywhere else in the globe. (Applause.)
But the best way to secure our homeland, the only sure way to make
sure our children are free and our children's children are free, is to
hunt the killers down, wherever they hide, is to hunt them down, one by
one, and bring them to justice. (Applause.)
As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter how long it takes. See,
we're talking about our freedom and our future. There's no cave deep
enough, as far as I'm concerned; and there's no cave deep enough, as
far as the United States military is concerned, either. I want you all
to know, if you wear the uniform of our great country, I'm proud of
you. I've got confidence in you. I believe that you can handle any
mission. (Applause.)
No, it's a different kind of war than our nation has seen in the
past. One thing that's different is oceans no longer keep us safe.
The second thing is, in the old days, you could measure progress by
looking at how many tanks the enemy had one day, and how many he had
the next day, whether or not his airplanes were flying or whether or
not his ships were floating on the seas. It's a different kind of
war. And America has begun to adjust its thinking about this kind of
war.
See, this is the kind of war where the leaders of the enemy hide.
They go into big cities -- or as I mentioned, caves -- and they send
youngsters to their suicidal death. That's the kind of war we're
having. It's not measured in equipment destroyed, it's going to be
measured in people brought to justice. And we're making progress. I
had made it clear to the world that either you're with us or you're
with the enemy, and that doctrine still stands. (Applause.) And as a
result of the hard work by our United States military and the
militaries and law enforcement officers of other countries, we've
arrested or brought to justice a couple thousand or more. Slowly but
surely, we're finding them where we think they can hide.
We brought one of them in the other day. He thought he was going
to be the 20th hijacker, or at least he was bragging that way. I don't
know if he's bragging now. But, see, he thought he was immune, he
thought he was invisible, he thought he could hide from the long arm of
justice. And like many -- about the like number haven't been so lucky
as the 20th hijacker. They met their fate.
We're getting them on the run, and we're keeping them on the run.
They're going to be -- as part of our doctrine, we're going to make
sure that there's no place for them to alight, no place for them to
hide. These are haters, and they're killers. And we owe it to the
American people and we owe it to our friends and allies to pursue them,
no matter where they try to hide.
And that's why I asked the Congress for the largest increase in
defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the President. I did so
because I firmly believe that any time we commit our troops into harm's
way, you deserve the best pay, the best training and the best possible
equipment. (Applause.) I also asked for a large increase because I
wanted to send a clear signal to the rest of the world that we're in
this for the long haul; that there is no calendar on my desk that says,
by such and such a day we're going to quit, that by such and such a
day we will all have grown weary, we're too tired, and therefore we're
coming home.
That's not the way we think in America. See, we understand
obligation and responsibility. We have a responsibility to our
children to fight for freedom. We have a responsibility to our
citizens to defend the homeland. And that only means -- not only means
dealing with real, immediate threats, it also means anticipating
threats before they occur, before things happen. It means we've got to
look out into the future and understand the new world in which we live
and deal with threats before it's too late.
And that's why I went into the United Nations the other day. And I
said to the United Nations, we have a true threat that faces America; a
threat that faces the world; and a threat which diminishes your
capacity. And I'm talking about Iraq. That country has got a leader
which has attacked two nations in the neighborhood; a leader who has
killed thousands of people; a leader who is brutal -- see, remember, we
believe every life matters and every life is precious -- s leader, if
there is dissent, will kill the dissenter; a leader who told the United
Nations and the world he would not develop weapons of mass destruction,
and for 11 long years has stiffed the world.
He looked at the United Nations and said this is a paper tiger,
their resolutions mean nothing. For 11 years he has deceived and
denied. For 11 years he's claimed he has had no weapons and, yet, we
know he has.
So I went to the United Nations and said, either you can become the
League of Nations, either you can become an organization which is
nothing but a debating society -- or you can be an organization which
is robust enough and strong enough to help keep the peace; your
choice.
But I also told them that if they would not act, if they would not
deal with this true threat we face in America, if they would not
recognize that America is no longer protected by oceans and that this
man is the man who would use weapons of mass destruction at the drop of
a hat, a man who would be willing to team up with terrorist
organizations with weapons of mass destruction to threaten America and
our allies, if they wouldn't act, the United States will -- we will not
allow the world's worst leaders to threaten us with the world's worst
weapons. (Applause.)
I want to see strong resolutions coming out of that U.N.; a
resolution which says the old ways of deceit are gone; a resolution
which will hold this man to account; a resolution which will allow
freedom-loving countries to disarm Saddam Hussein before he threatens
his neighborhood, before he threatens freedom, before he threatens
America and before he threatens civilization. We owe it to our
children and we owe it to our grandchildren to keep this nation strong
and free. (Applause.)
And as we work to make America a stronger place and a safer place,
we always must remember that we've got to work to make America a better
place, too -- a better place. And that starts with making sure every
single child in America gets a great education. (Applause.) Make sure
that every child -- make sure that we focus on each child, every
child. It says we expect and believe our children can learn to read
and write and add and subtract. As a society, we will challenge the
soft bigotry of low expectations.
We believe every child can learn, every child matters, and
therefore we expect to be told whether or not the children are learning
to read and write and add and subtract. And if we find they're not, if
we find there are certain children who aren't learning and the systems
are just shuffling through as if they don't matter, we must challenge
the status quo. Failure is unacceptable in America. Every child
matters, and no child should be left behind in this great country.
(Applause.)
A better America, a better America is one which makes sure that our
health care systems are responsive to the patient and make sure our
health care systems, particularly for the elderly, are modern. We need
prescription drug benefits for elderly Americans. The Medicare system
must be reformed, must be made to work so that we have a better
tomorrow for all citizens in this country. (Applause.)
A better America is one that understands as we're helping people go
from dependency to freedom, from welfare, we must help them find work.
A better America understands that when people work, there is dignity in
their lives. A better America is America which understands the power
of our faith-based institutions in our country. It's in our churches
and synagogues and mosques that we find universal love and universal
compassion. (Applause.)
You know what's really interesting about what's taking place in
America is this: the enemy hit us, but out of the evil done to America
is going to come some incredible good, because of the nature of our
soul, the nature of our being. On the one hand, I believe we can
achieve peace. Oh, I know the kids hear all the war rhetoric and tough
talk, and that's necessary to send a message to friend and foe alike
that we're plenty tough, if you rouse this country, and we're not going
to relent.
But we're not going to relent because my desire is to achieve
peace. I want there to be a peaceful world. I want children all
across our globe to grow up in a peaceful society. Oh, I know the
hurdles are going to be high to achieving that peace. There's going to
be some tough decisions to make, some tough action for some to take.
But it's all aimed at making America safe and secure and peaceful, but
other places around the world, too. I believe this -- I believe that
if our country -- and it will -- remains strong and tough and we fight
terror wherever terror exists, that we can achieve peace. We can
achieve peace in the Middle East, we can achieve peace in South Asia.
We can achieve peace.
No, out of the evil done to America can come a peaceful world. And
at home, out of the evil done to our country can come some incredible
good, as well. We've got to understand, in America there are pockets
of despair and hopelessness, places where people hurt because they're
not sure if America is meant for them, places where people are
addicted. And government can help eradicate these pockets by handing
out money. But what government cannot do is put hope in people's
hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That's done when
neighbor loves neighbor. That's done when this country hears the
universal call to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved
yourself.
No, out of the evil done to America is coming some incredible good,
because we've got citizens all across this land -- whether they be a
part of our faith-based institutions or charitable institutions --
citizens all across this land who have heard the call that if you want
to fight evil, do some good. If you want to resist the evil done to
America, love your neighbor; mentor a child; put your arm around an
elderly citizen who is shut-in, and say, I love you; start a Boy Scout
or Girl Scout troop; go to your Boys and Girls Clubs; help somebody in
need.
No, this country, this country has heard the call. This country is
a country full of such incredibly decent and warm-hearted and
compassionate citizens that there's people all across New Jersey and
all across America who without one government act, without government
law are in fact trying to make the communities in which they live a
more responsive and compassionate and loving place.
Today I met Bob and Chris Morgan, USA Freedom Corps greeters, who
coordinate blood drives right here in New Jersey for the American Red
Cross. Nobody told them they had to do that. There wasn't a law that
said, you will be a part of collecting blood. They decided to do it
because they want to make America more able to address emergency and
help people in need. Whether it's teaching a child to read, whether
it's delivering food to the hungry or helping those who need a --
housing, you can make a huge difference in the lives of our fellow
Americans.
See, societies change one heart, one conscience, one soul at a
time. Everybody has worth and everybody matters. No, out of the evil
done to America is going to come a compassionate society. (Applause.)
Now this great country will show the world what we're made out of.
This great country, by responding to the challenges we face will leave
behind a legacy of sacrifice, a legacy of compassion, a legacy of
peace, a legacy of decency for future generations of people fortunate
enough to be called an American.
There's no question in my mind -- I hope you can tell, I'm an
optimistic fellow about our future. I believe we can overcome any
difficulty that's put in our path. I believe we can cross any hurdle,
climb any mountain, because this is the greatest nation on the face of
the earth, full of the most decent, hardworking, honorable citizens.
May God bless you all, and may God bless America. Thank you, all.
(Applause.)