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Skriven 2007-08-02 23:30:52 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0708022) for Thu, 2007 Aug 2
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President Bush Offers Sympathies and Assistance to Minneapolis and Calls on
Congress to Act Before Recess
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary August 2, 2007

President Bush Offers Sympathies and Assistance to Minneapolis and Calls on
Congress to Act Before Recess Rose Garden

˙ /news/releases/2007/08/20070802-2.wm.v.html ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio


10:54 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I just finished a Cabinet meeting. One of the
things we discussed was the terrible situation there in Minneapolis. We
talked about the fact that the bridge collapsed, and that we in the federal
government must respond and respond robustly to help the people there not
only recover, but to make sure that lifeline of activity, that bridge, gets
rebuilt as quickly as possible.

To that end, Secretary Peters is in Minneapolis, as well as Federal Highway
Administrator Capka. I spoke to Governor Pawlenty and Mayor Rybak this
morning. I told them that the Secretary would be there. I told them we
would help with rescue efforts, but I also told them how much we are in
prayer for those who suffered. And I thank my fellow citizens for holding
up those who are suffering right now in prayer.

We also talked about -- in the Cabinet meeting talked about the status of
important pieces of legislation before the Congress. We spent a fair amount
of time talking about the fact that how disappointed we are that Congress
hasn't sent any spending bills to my desk. By the end of this week, members
are going to be leaving for their month-long August recess. And by the time
they will return, there will be less than a month before the end of the
fiscal year on September the 30th, and yet they haven't passed one of the
12 spending bills that they're required to pass. If Congress doesn't pass
the spending bills by the end of the fiscal year, Cabinet Secretaries
report that their departments may be unable to move forward with urgent
priorities for our country.

This doesn't have to be this way. The Democrats won last year's election
fair and square, and now they control the calendar for bringing up bills in
Congress. They need to pass each of these spending bills individually, on
time, and in a fiscally responsible way.

The budget I've sent to Congress fully funds America's priorities. It
increases discretionary spending by 6.9 percent. My Cabinet Secretaries
assure me that this is adequate to meet the needs of our nation.

Unfortunately, Democratic leaders in Congress want to spend far more. Their
budget calls for nearly $22 billion more in discretionary spending next
year alone. These leaders have tried to downplay that figure. Yesterday one
called this increase -- and I quote -- "a very small difference" from what
I proposed. Only in Washington can $22 billion be called a very small
difference. And that difference will keep getting bigger. Over the next
five years it will total nearly $205 billion in additional discretionary
spending. That $205 billion averages out to about $112 million per day,
$4.7 million per hour, $78,000 per minute.

Put another way, that's about $1,300 in higher spending every second of
every minute of every hour of every day of every year for the next five
years. That's a lot of money -- even for career politicians in Washington.
In fact, at that pace, Democrats in Congress would have spent an extra
$300,000 since I began these remarks.

There's only one way to pay for all this new federal spending without
running up the deficit, and that is to raise your taxes. A massive tax hike
is the last thing the American people need. The plan I put forward would
keep your taxes low and balance the budget within five years, and that is
the right path for our country.

I want to thank OMB Director Rob Portman for his hard work in developing
this plan. This was Rob's last Cabinet meeting. Laura and I wish him and
his family well. And I call on the Senate to confirm his successor, Jim
Nussle, so we can work together to keep our government running, to keep our
economy growing, and to keep our nation strong.

Thank you for your time.

END 10:59 A.M. EDT
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