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Skriven 2005-05-03 23:32:56 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050503) for Tue, 2005 May 3
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Press Gaggle by Trent Duffy
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 3, 2005

Press Gaggle by Trent Duffy
Aboard Air Force One
En route Jackson, Mississippi



11:10 A.M. EDT

MR. DUFFY: All right. Let's see, the President's schedule. He had his
normal intelligence briefings this morning, and we are currently traveling
to Canton, Mississippi, where he will have a conversation on Social
Security with the workers of a Nissan plant. There will be approximately
2,200 people in the audience, mostly workers and some other guests of local
officials.

Traveling with us on Air Force One is Senator Cochran, Congressman Wicker
and Congressman Pickering. I also have one -- that's all I have for the
public schedule.

On the personnel announcement. The President intends to nominate Bob
Kimmitt to be Deputy Treasury Secretary. And we will put out some paper
upon our landing. That's what I have.

Q What was his title?

MR. DUFFY: Deputy Treasury Secretary.

Q What is he now? Is he in the Treasury?

MR. DUFFY: I don't know what his background is.

Q You said it's Bob?

MR. DUFFY: Bob Kimmitt.

Q Trent, what do you -- how does the White House react to statements from
Joint Chiefs Chairman General Myers that says that our -- with our troop
allocations in Iraq, that our ability to function in the rest of the world
is limited at this point, if there's another military need.

MR. DUFFY: I think that the General also said that our U.S. military is
fully capable of meeting any threat posed in the world today. The President
is confident of that. And that's why the President has sought the biggest
military build-up in a generation. President Bush has pushed for a 41
percent increase in military spending since being sworn into office. He's
approved four-straight pay raises for our men and women in uniform. We've
increased spending on training, housing, quality-of-life initiatives, as
well as technology. And I would mention the missile defense capability as
something President Bush is pushing for right at this very minute, to make
sure that we have all the capabilities that we need to protect the American
people.

We are at war, and that level of operations does have some impact on
troops. But the President continues to be confident, as well as his
military commanders, that we can meet any threat decisively.

Q Trent, some Republican senators have expressed reservations openly in the
last few days about the indexing plan that Bush announced on Thursday. You
have Allen, and you also have Brownback, and some of the centrist
Republicans, through aides, are also saying that their bosses are not
inclined to support it. Given the narrow divide in the Senate, how can you
push it through if you don't even have full support of all the Republicans
in the Senate?

MR. DUFFY: Well, the Senate Finance Committee is just getting started. And
the President proposed his plan, which he believes is the best way to go
about protecting lowest-income workers, and making sure that we are dealing
with the solvency in Social Security. But he welcomes the discussion. It's
the exact kind of reaction that the President sought to spark when he
provided his proposal. And so he welcomes other ideas from both Republicans
and Democrats, and we look forward to action in the Senate Finance
Committee.

Q Does that mean he's open to other ideas to replace the indexing proposal
he just made on Thursday?

MR. DUFFY: The President is open to all ideas, as he said. He has put out
his proposal on a way to protect the lowest-income workers, but that in the
context of the legislative process, he'll welcome other ideas for
solutions, and would welcome other ideas to perfect or to make the best
system. That's what the President is most interested in, is providing the
best solution.

Q So the final approach that's approved by Congress does not need to
include this indexing proposal?

MR. DUFFY: Well, the President has put out his proposal; the Senate Finance
Committee is just getting started. And we welcome an active debate in that
committee about how best to address a solution.

Q He said that personal accounts should be part of any solution. Does he
feel the same way about progressive indexing, or was that further down on
the totem poll?

MR. DUFFY: I'm going to decline to rank them. The President said quite
clearly on Thursday that he believes that as we go forward, we need to
protect the lowest-income workers, and give them an opportunity, through
the personal account, to benefit for the first time from long-term
investments. So this is the President, once again, providing leadership on
what he believes needs to be the contours of a solution. But we fully want
to work with the Congress on addressing it.

Q Where do we stand on the 60-day campaign? Is that over now? What comes
from now? What's the next step?

MR. DUFFY: The next phase is what you're seeing right now, the legislative
process. Obviously, the Senate is out this week, but Chairman Thomas and
Chairman McCrery Friday said that they wanted to get hearings started in
the House Ways and Means Committee, and have a summertime time table. So
what you're seeing now is the legislative process, a reaction to the first
phase, which is getting the American people to realize there is a problem.

Q So is he going to stop going around the country and talking about it? Is
that phase over?

MR. DUFFY: Well, I think our presence on Air Force One, traveling to
Mississippi as we speak, is evidence that the President will continue
talking with the American people about not only the challenges in the
Social Security program, but his ideas. Today he's going to be talking
about preserving the social safety net and low-income workers. So it will
be a blend. Obviously, as the legislative process picks up speed, that will
engender a different kind of discussion, but the President will continue to
do both, talking about his plans and continuing to educate the American
people.

Q Was there a strategy shift? Thomas is now going to try and get out ahead,
and get something out to the House floor by June. Previously it was
Grassley that was going to take the first move, but not until July. Was
there a coordinated effort to get the House moving, to give it some
momentum?

MR. DUFFY: Those legislative, tactical calls are going to be decided by the
members of Congress. And, obviously, the White House and the President
wants to work in a collective effort with them on the best way to move
forward, but we support activity on both the House and the Senate side, and
leave it to the tacticians up there to decide how best to move it forward.
But the bottom line is, it is moving forward in both houses, and that's
exactly the kind of momentum that the President wanted to build. And we're
pleased to see the progress.

Q And Mississippi is the 26th state?

MR. DUFFY: I believe. Let me double-check on that.*

Q Virginia was 25, and the previous --

MR. DUFFY: Do we know, Ms. Godfrey, what state Mississippi is?

MS. GODFREY: I'll have to check.

MR. DUFFY: We'll provide an asterisk at the end of the gaggle.

Q This plant that we're going to, is this a union-represented plant, and do
we know if they have any type of pension plan or system there at this
plant?

MR. DUFFY: I'm not familiar with the makeup of the workforce here, as to
whether it's union or not. The President is going to talk to the workers. I
suspect we'll get some more information about the plant and the pension
when we get there. The President is just going to speak to the workers
about why it's important to preserve the social safety net, give workers
the opportunity to have a voluntary personal account, and the need to move
forward on this.

Q One other auto question. The President has been at a BMW plant in South
Carolina. Now he's going to a Nissan plant. He's never been, as far as I
know, to GM or Ford. Is there any significance there?

MR. DUFFY: I'll check on what plants he's visited or hasn't visited, but he
was invited by this plant to attend.** I know that he's been working with
Senator Lott on coming down and visiting. So it's sort of as Scott
described it yesterday.

All good? All right, thanks.

END 11:19 A.M. EDT

* Mississippi is the 26th state the President has visited to talk about
Social Security.

** The President has hosted domestic automakers on the South Lawn of the
White House to promote his hydrogen car initiative, as well as other
fuel-efficient vehicles.

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