Text 773, 608 rader
Skriven 2005-04-14 23:33:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0504143) for Thu, 2005 Apr 14
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 14, 2005

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

Press Briefing
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12:09 P.M. EDT

MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everybody. The President had a good
discussion earlier today with some House Republicans that were over here to
talk about the importance of fixing Social Security and acting on it this
year. The President talked about the efforts that we have undertaken to
reach out to the American people and talk to them about the problems facing
Social Security. And he talked about the importance of making sure seniors
understand that we're talking about fixing Social Security for future
generations, but as far as they're concerned, nothing changes.

And the President also talked at length about the importance of personal
accounts, and how personal accounts will help younger workers realize a
greater rate of return on their own retirement savings. And this was also
an opportunity for the President to hear back from these members about some
of their ideas, and also to hear about some of their discussions they've
had in town hall meetings across the United States. Many of these members
have been participating in town hall meetings, and they've been talking
about Social Security.

We're pleased with the progress that's being made. More and more Americans
recognize that there are serious problems facing Social Security. That's
still the phase that we're in right now, is educating the American people,
while at the same time reaching out to members of Congress, and talking
about how we move forward together to get something passed this year that
will make Social Security permanently sound, and will also make it a better
deal for our children and grandchildren by allowing them to realize a
greater rate of return on their retirement savings. And the President
talked about the importance of voluntary personal retirement accounts, the
option of being able to set aside money in personal accounts that could
realize a greater rate of return.

And a lot of these members talked about how important that was, too, and
about the magic of the compounding rate of interest, and how people will
realize significantly more than they're realizing under the current system
if they're able to have that option of investing some of their dollars in
personal retirement accounts.

And many of these members also talked about their appreciation for the
President taking on this important issue. This is a difficult issue. We
haven't acted on this issue in some 20 years, if you all will recall, and
that's why the President is going to continue reaching out to the American
people and continuing reaching out to members of Congress who want to get
something done. And more and more people are starting to talk about ways to
solve the problem and address this, this year. So we're pleased with the
progress made. Many of these members expressed their appreciation for his
leadership, and stated how pleased they were with the progress that's being
made, because more Americans are recognizing the problems facing Social
Security.

And with that, I will be glad to jump into questions.

Q Representative Jim Kolbe, who was in that meeting, said that he told the
President that the time has come to start putting forth some ideas about
how to deal with the insolvency problem, and that the President should
offer his remedy. Is it time for the President to do that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, those are discussions that we're having with members
of Congress. I don't know that the discussion was quite the way you
described it. There was some discussion --

Q That's the way he described it.

MR. McCLELLAN: I saw his comments; I didn't see that that was the way -- he
talked about --

Q He said, "The time has come where we've got to start to put some
specifics out there about how we're going to fix the solvency" --

MR. McCLELLAN: Right. Terry said that that was the way he described it to
the President.

Q He said he told the President that.

MR. McCLELLAN: I just wanted to correct your characterization. I think it
was a little bit off. (Laughter.)

What was discussed with the President was that there's some solutions --
they talked about the importance of finding a permanent fix to Social
Security, and they talked about how we move forward together to get this
done this year. And there was some discussion about when do you do that.
And the President said, well, we're still in this phase now of educating
the American people about the problems facing Social Security, and at some
point we'll be focusing more on solutions and the way to getting this done
through Congress.

As you're aware, Congress hasn't even begun hearings at this point to
consider legislation. They will begin those soon. And so we're going to
continue talking with members of Congress, like Congressman Kolbe, about
how we move forward. Congressman Kolbe has put forward some very
interesting ideas and the President welcomes that. He's someone who
recognizes the importance of getting something done, and we appreciate his
involvement in this issue.

So it was more of a general discussion about the phases that we're in, and
at some point we'll enter a new phase. But we're still early in the process
here. This is still in the early stages of the Social Security discussion
with the American people. And I think sometimes people tend to think that
this is something that can be solved overnight. Well, if that was the case
it would have been solved long ago.

That's why it's important to go to the American people and say, we've got
serious problems; here's what they are. And the President talked about
those. He talked about how each year that we wait it costs another $600
billion to fix the program. And just three years from now, the baby boomers
are going to be retiring, and that's going to be putting a great strain on
the system. And in just over a decade from now, you're going to see
shortfalls in the system. You're going to see the system paying out more in
benefits than is coming in to the system. And that's why we need to fix it.
That's why we need to find a permanent solution to the problem. It's just a
short time away.

Q When do you move to the next phase?

MR. McCLELLAN: John, as you know, I don't think we've ever put a timetable
on it. We said we're going to do that in concert with members of Congress.
We want to listen to them and talk about how we move forward together --

Q Well, they seem to be suggesting it's time to move to the next phase, so
--

MR. McCLELLAN: Maybe you'll let me finish my comment here in a second.
That's why the President has said we want to move forward in a bipartisan
way. This is an important issue. It affects all Americans. We need to work
together to solve it. And you're seeing more and more members talk about
possible solutions. We would like to see more Democrats come to the table
and talk about solutions. They're admitting now that there is a problem
facing Social Security, and something needs to be done.

And so at some point we'll be talking more about those solutions. But the
President has said all ideas are on the table, with the exception of
raising the payroll tax rate. But he spelled out important principles. But
we're still in the phase of reaching out to the American people, and we're
pleased with the progress that's being made.

Q Would next week be too early to move to the next phase?

MR. McCLELLAN: We're still in the -- as you're aware, we're on a 60-day
push to reach out to the American people about the problems facing Social
Security. And that continues. The President looks forward to going to Ohio
tomorrow to participate in a roundtable to talk about the problems facing
Social Security, and also to hear feedback from people in Ohio about their
system. They are a state that opted out of the traditional Social Security
system, and they'll talk about the progress being made there, and how --
and then the President can highlight the importance of personal accounts in
that respect, as well.

Q Scott, you just said, we've never put a timetable on it. But, in fact,
the President gave an interview to The Washington Times at the beginning of
the year in which he said he wanted legislation by June or July. So how can
you still be in the early stages of this, and still want legislation or a
bill by early summer and not --

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me just correct you, in terms of putting forward
specific ideas for finding a permanent solution. Congress is moving forward
on some legislative ideas. Senator Grassley is going to be holding hearings
later -- a hearing later this month or next month. I think he's expressed
that he intends to move forward this summer in his committee, as well. And
so we welcome that. But that's what we're discussing with members of
Congress, about how to move forward. And at the right time, the President
will state his views in a more specific way about how to fix the system
permanently.

Now, personal accounts are an important part of any solution. They are
integral to a solution, because they will help younger workers realize more
on their own retirement savings, and it will give them ownership. It will
say -- it will empower people; you have ownership over these funds, and
this will help you realize a greater rate of return. If you look at the
Thrift Savings Plan, which we're talking about modeling it after, I mean,
many people are realizing 6 percent, 7 percent return on their money. It's
been a great success. It was highlighted by the bipartisan Social Security
Commission. But we're continuing to talk with Congress about when the time
is right to move forward on that. But we first want to make sure everybody
has an understanding of the problems facing Social Security.

Q Maybe you could address that, then, because you say, at the right time
the President will lay out some specifics. And so what you have is members
of Congress, members of the President's own party that are saying, well,
you've got some ideas, you've got some specifics; we're interested in your
leadership, Mr. President -- why not now?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know where you've been -- the President has been
leading. He's been going all across this country talking to the American
people about the need to act on this problem now, because it only gets
worse with time.

Q But what about you, when you say at the right time he'll lay out some
specifics -- what is the right time?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's discussions we'll have with members of
Congress, Norah. That's why we're having all these meetings. The President
has reached out to Democrats and Republicans alike to talk about the
problems facing Social Security and to listen to their ideas. And it's
important that we proceed forward in a bipartisan way in order to get it
done. That's why I emphasized that this is a difficult issue; otherwise it
would have been solved long ago. But the President is someone who believes
in taking on big issues and tackling the tough problems. That's what
leadership is about, and that's how we're doing this.

And I think there are different ways to get things done. If you look over
the course of his first administration, we were able to accomplish big
things: historic tax cuts for the American people. Tomorrow being tax day,
the President is going to be visiting a coffee shop tomorrow to talk with
some small business owners and families who have benefited from the tax
cuts we've passed that have gotten our economy growing stronger and have
created some 3 million jobs since May of 2003. We were able to pass
historic Medicare reforms. We were able to pass the education reforms to
improve our public schools. And the President believes in working with
congressional leaders to accomplish these things. And that's why we're
having these discussions, to talk about the way forward, and to come to a
solution.

Q Scott, when you say that the time will be right to start talking about
solutions, what determines that? Has the President decided what the
solutions are, and he's worried about the timing, in terms of politics,
votes on the Hill, the legislative calendar?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I understand, I know that some want to jump ahead in the
process. But this is important that we go through the process of educating
the American people, because it is such an important issue -- it affects
every American. And that's why the President has continued to talk about
the problems facing Social Security. Those are discussions that you bring
up, in terms of the timing, about how we move forward on legislation. Those
are discussions that we continue to have with members of Congress.

The President will not hesitate, when the time is right, to be more
specific about how we find a permanent solution. But he believes on this
issue, this is one we have to work hand-in-hand on to move forward.

Q So are you saying that the President has, in fact, made up his mind what
those solutions are and it's a question of timing?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, not at all, because he's listening to members of
Congress about some of their ideas, and he's laid out some ideas that he
thinks are worthy of consideration, and he has specifically mentioned some
of those. He will continue to mention those for permanently fixing Social
Security, and he wants to hear from others about ideas. One idea that he's
highlighted that he finds very constructive was by the Democrat member of
his commission, Mr. Pozen, who talked about progressive indexing. The
President wants to have a system that is more progressive as we move
forward, and that's something he's very interested in. We continue to
welcome all ideas for solving the problem. And the President looks forward
to continuing to work with members of Congress to get this done this year,
because the American people expect nothing less of us.

Q Scott, what is the allegation that's prompted the holdup on Lester
Crawford's nomination for the FDA, and what's the President going to do
about it?

MR. McCLELLAN: You might want to talk to the committee. The committee put
out a statement on that and said that there's some allegations that had
come to their attention and that they wanted to look into those matters. We
hope that the committee will move forward quickly to resolve the matter and
move forward on his nomination. The President believes Dr. Crawford is
someone who brings great experience to the position and is highly qualified
to lead the FDA.

Q So the President is aware of the details of the allegation and stands by
him anyway?

MR. McCLELLAN: I just made that very clear. We believe he is highly
qualified.

Q Scott, back on Social Security and rephrasing the question, I guess --
some on Capitol Hill are saying, why keep pushing privatization when the
White House knows it's holding up the works on getting this thing moved in
any way, shape or form on the Hill, and just deal with solvency. Why not?
And, secondly, you're touting the President's tax cuts, and some are saying
that is, indeed, some of the problem because that could have helped pay for
some of the problem with Social Security in the near future.

MR. McCLELLAN: What are you referring to? The tax cuts helped get our
economy growing. We've seen millions of jobs created --

Q But they're saying that money could have been used to help fund --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- we're seeing strong, sustained economic growth. And when
the President has talked about personal accounts, I mean, he's talked about
a gradual transition. And if you'll recall, one of the big problems with
Social Security is that it faces an $11-trillion unfunded liability. That
is something that will be passed on to our children and grandchildren.
That's another reason why we need to act. And when you talk about the
personal accounts and the transition financing that would be involved, it's
very similar to someone refinancing the mortgage on their home. You're just
moving some of those costs forward and paying it off sooner. And I think
that that will address one of the important problems facing this country,
as well, which is the unfunded liabilities facing our entitlement programs.
So I disagree with --

Q Well, why keep pushing this issue --

MR. McCLELLAN: And in terms of the issue you brought up, this will still be
a government-run program. This program has worked very well for seniors.
It's been an important program for America's seniors. But the President
believes it's a philosophical issue that people ought to be able to have
more say over their own retirement money. And that's why he believes
personal accounts are important. Let me point out --

Q If it's such a problem, why not leave privatization alone and deal with
the issue of solvency so it can move on the Hill?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me talk about why -- we're doing both. Let me talk about
why personal accounts are so important and why personal accounts are part
of any solution, they're integral to any solution, because right now you
have a system that is promising future generations things that it cannot --
making commitments that it cannot meet, it is making promises that it
cannot meet. And they're facing either massive tax increases or massive
benefit cuts under the current system. That's -- and I pointed out the
unfunded liability -- that's why we need to find a permanent solution.

Now, at the same time while we're talking about a permanent solution, we
want to help our children and grandchildren be able to realize a greater
rate of return. And I think that my generation, younger generations realize
the magic of compound interest. They realize that if they're able to have
more say over their money, they can realize significantly more than they
could under the current system and have more of a nest egg when they
retire. Not only that, but it's also a nest egg that they would now be able
to pass on --

Q So the magic of Wall Street.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- to pass on to their heirs.

Q So the magic of Wall Street.

MR. McCLELLAN: So personal accounts -- that's why personal accounts are
important to this. No, it's the magic of our children and grandchildren
being able to have more say over their own money and realize a greater rate
of return on their money. Look at the Thrift Savings Plan that the
President has talked about. The Thrift Savings Plan has been a huge
success. It's what the bipartisan commission pointed to when they talked
about the benefit of personal accounts.

Q Scott, on another subject, the President met with India's Foreign
Minister Natwar Singh earlier today. Is the White House confident that it
has given the Indian government the kind of assurances it needs, that
despite the fact the U.S. would be selling F16s to Pakistan that it's not
going to disrupt that delicate balance of power between those two
countries?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think so. And that did not come up in the meeting.

Q It didn't come up in the meeting?

MR. McCLELLAN: No. That did not come up in the discussion.

Q The sale of F16s to Pakistan --

Q What did they talk about?

MR. McCLELLAN: The meeting really focused on ways to strengthen our
bilateral relationship. And this was a briefer meeting than usual because
it was with the Foreign Minister, not the Prime Minister. And as you're
aware, Prime Minister Singh will be coming to Washington this summer, and
the President looks forward to that visit. And the President will be going
to India at some point, as well. We haven't set a time for that, but the
President looks forward to making a trip there, as well.

But this was focused on some of what Secretary Rice talked about recently
on the strategic dialogue, and some of the new initiatives that we're
undertaking. And so they talked about the economic and energy and strategic
cooperation that we have on bilateral issues. And that was really the focus
of the meeting.

We're going to be continuing to talk about some of the dialogue that we're
having on issues like energy, and I think you'll be hearing more on that
from the State Department and others as we move forward.

Q So if arm sales to Pakistan did not come up in the discussion with
India's Foreign Minister, did arm sales to India come up?

MR. McCLELLAN: Not that I heard about, Terry. Again, it was a brief
meeting. But I would leave it the way I described it.

Q And --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we previously talked about the issue of the F16s and
we've had that discussion with India. The President reached out to Prime
Minister Singh and talked about it and our belief that it doesn't change
the overall balance of military power in the region, and at the same time
recognizing that it's vital to Pakistan's security. And we also talked
about how we would continue to have a strategic dialogue with India on such
matters as will.

Q On another subject, there's growing concern in the country about a number
of pharmacists who are refusing to fill valid prescriptions from doctors
for the so-called "morning after pill," and Congress is taking a look at
acting on this and requiring pharmacists who are refusing to fill these
prescriptions because they say it's on the basis of their conscience,
requiring them to do so. What's the President's position on this?

MR. McCLELLAN: I have not had a discussion with him about it, but I'll be
glad to take a look at it.

Q Scott, when President Yushchenko was here -- a week-and-a-half ago, I
guess; it was before the Rome trip -- he said publicly, and his aides
apparently also talked with the administration, about his discovery that
the previous government in Ukraine had sold nuclear-capable cruise missiles
to China and to Iran. What has the administration learned about this since?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have any more update from my standpoint. I mean, it
is something that the government in Ukraine has been investigating and
looking into. We appreciate the action that they are taking to look into
that matter. But beyond that I haven't heard any further update.

Q Would you pursue if you get a moment?

MR. McCLELLAN: If there is, sure.

Go ahead, Sarah.

Q Thank you. Is the President going to put permanent U.S. bases in
Afghanistan?

MR. McCLELLAN: We actually talked about this issue yesterday, and we want
to make sure that we're doing all we can to train and equip Afghan security
forces and make sure that the Afghan people are able to defend their
country from the threats that they face. We've been having a dialogue with
the government on these issues; we've been talking to them about security
arrangements going forward. Those discussions continue. I wouldn't want to
go beyond that at this point, because those are ongoing discussions we're
having with the government in Afghanistan. But they certainly have been a
strong ally in the global war on terrorism and we want to make sure that
they are able to move forward -- continue to move forward on a democratic
path where they are able to defend themselves.

Q The Jessica Lunsford tragedy in Florida pointed out there are serious
deficiencies, perhaps more on the state level, in tracking sexual predators
than was previously understood. Is there any discussion on the executive
level of strengthening tracking sexual predators so that something like
this doesn't happen again, when you get the FBI involved?

MR. McCLELLAN: Absolutely, there's always discussion on that. And I think
all of us were horrified by that incident. It was just a terrible tragedy.
And I don't think anyone can imagine how someone could do something like
that, particularly to an innocent child. And we have made the Amber Alert a
high priority in this administration. That has been a great success in
being able to track people who prey on children. And we are always looking
at ways to make sure we doing everything we can to protect our communities
and protect our children.

Q Anything under discussion right now?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have anything to update at this point.

Go ahead, go ahead, John.

Q Thank you, Scott. As of today, the Ex-Im Bank has proposed $5 billion in
loan and loan guarantees to China to build a nuclear reactor --is
proceeding according to their spokesman. And it's beyond the stage of
tentative approval, despite the mounting evidence that China helped Iran
and Pakistan, as referred to in the previous question, to build a nuclear
reactor. Is the administration -- particularly after the warnings it
received about Iran from Prime Minister Sharon last week -- going to try to
at least put the brakes on and take another look?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, as I've pointed out to you previously, there are
agencies that look at these issues to make sure that there are no
proliferation concerns before anything goes forward. And I think where we
discussed it last time is where I will leave it today. I don't have
anything more for you. You can talk to the appropriate agencies about it.

Q The U.N. agencies and the Nuclear Regulator Commission?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we have -- yes, we have agencies within the U.S.
government that look at these matters.

Q Scott, in an interview with The Washington Times yesterday, House
Majority Leader DeLay, when asked about the President's description of
border minutemen as vigilantes, DeLay said, I'm not sure the President
meant that. I think they're providing an excellent service.

And my first question, does the President still regard them as vigilantes
because they've hanged anybody or what?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, when you say "regard them," let's define who we're
talking about. If we're talking about a loosely affiliated group of
individuals who are armed and trying to take things into their own hands,
we have serious concerns about that.

If you're talking about individuals who are simply reporting suspicious
activity to the appropriate authorities, that's another matter. But there
are authorities who are responsible for enforcing our borders. And they're
the ones who are charged with keeping people out of -- keeping people from
crossing the border illegally. We've done a lot to beef up our Border
Patrol and to put better technology along the borders to prevent people
from entering this country illegally.

But it goes back to what we've talked about before, Les. The broader issue
here is we need to have immigration reform. The President has put forward a
proposal with some very clear principles to build a more humane and orderly
migration system. And it's a proposal that will allow us to then focus,
make sure that the resources of the Border Patrol and others who protect
our borders are focused on those who are coming here for the wrong reasons,
those who are terrorists, or those who are coming here to be involved in
criminal activity.

Q Congressman DeLay also noted that Washington State Democrat Congressman
Jim McDermott, "has been found guilty by a court of law." And my question,
does the President believe that House Majority Leader DeLay's record is
anywhere nearly as questionable as Baghdad Jim's?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made his views known about
Congressman DeLay.

Go ahead.

Q What does the President expect of Jim Wolfensohn in his new duties in
Gaza?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, that's an announcement that is probably being made as
we are in this room. Secretary Rice was making that announcement over at
the Department of State. The President had a good visit with Mr. Wolfensohn
just a short time ago. We appreciate the job he did at the World Bank. And
we look forward to him taking on this new role as the special envoy for the
Quartet on the Gaza disengagement.

This is a real opportunity that the parties have before them in the region
to get moving on the President's two-state vision. And Mr. Wolfensohn will
help make sure that the parties are coordinating and cooperating closely as
the Israelis move forward on the disengagement plan, and he'll help make
sure that there's a smooth transition as the Israeli people pull out of
that region, or withdraw from that region. And another focus that he'll
have will be on the Palestinian economy and making sure that we're doing
all we can to support the Palestinian people in their aspirations for a
better future and a stronger economic future.

Q While the U.S. is the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, we
heard the President and Mr. Sharon talking about the international
community role. In terms of finance, are you relying more on the Europeans
and other, maybe Japanese, donors to do that? Or is it mainly it's going to
be divided by the U.S.? And if you have a figure for that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, the State Department might be able to update you on
some of the latest efforts that they've been involved in, in terms of that.
But the President, I think, made it very clear that all of us in the
international community should do what we can to support the parties as
they move forward on the two-state vision that he outlined. And the
President -- the Quartet -- the President and the Quartet all outlined the
roadmap toward achieving that two-state vision, and we want to see the
parties move forward on that roadmap. The Gaza withdrawal provides the
parties an opportunity to get moving in that direction again.

Go ahead, in back. Let me keep going. The President has got to leave here
shortly.

Q Thank you so much. My question is on North Korea. Today in an interview
by Secretary Rice with The Wall Street Journal, I cannot paraphrase what
she said, but I read the newspaper this morning and she said North Korea
might be a little bit disappointed with the reaction of the United States
because the United States didn't jump over the kind of statement made by
North Korea previously. But I want to ask you, the President has any sense
of urgency on this issue? The statement by Secretary Rice didn't sound like
a sense of urgency, or whatever. What is the President's --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sure the President does. That's why the President led
the way to forming the six-party framework for resolving the matter in a
peaceful and diplomatic way. This is a high priority for the
administration. And, yes, North Korea does make comments from time to time,
and they expect the international community to react to those comments.
Those comments only tend to further isolate North Korea. North Korea needs
to come back to the talks so that we can talk about how to move forward on
the proposal that we have on the table, and so that the parties in the
region can realize our shared goal of a denuclearized peninsula. That's the
shared goal of all of us who are working in the six-party framework. And
it's time for North Korea to come back to the talks.

Steve.

Q Is he ready for tonight? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: The President managed to get in a little bit of warm-up time
last week, before we left for Rome, and then a little bit yesterday. He's
obviously been busy with a number of other priorities, but he's gotten a
little bit of warm-up time in. The President is looking forward to tonight.
This is one of those great moments in baseball, and to be able to
participate in it is exciting. And I think the people of this whole area
are excited about baseball coming back to Washington, D.C.

The Nationals are off to a strong start. They're in first place now in the
NL East -- it's tied with a couple other teams. The President is very much
looking forward to tonight, he's an avid baseball fan. He has a great love
for the game, and he looks forward to throwing out the first pitch tonight
to begin baseball here in Washington again.

Q Thank you.

MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you.

END 12:40 P.M. EDT
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