A Record Of Leadership: Meeting Our Responsibility To The American People
One Year After The 2006 Midterm Elections, President Bush Continues To Move Forward On Important Issues, Urges Congress To Get Its Work Done
"Congress is not getting its work done. We're near the end of the year, and there really isn't much to show for it. The House of Representatives has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations, and the Senate has wasted valuable time on an endless series of failed votes to pull our troops out of Iraq. And yet there's important work to be done on behalf of the American people." - President George W. Bush, 10/30/07
On issue after issue, President Bush is taking action and delivering results.
Our economy has added jobs for a record 50 months straight, Coalition forces are making progress on the ground in Iraq, we are pursuing reforms to ensure our intelligence professionals have the tools to keep our Nation safe, and we are acting to meet the needs of all Americans - from our returning wounded warriors, to struggling homeowners, to air travelers beleaguered by flight delays and cancellations, to consumers worried about dangerous imports. The President calls on Congress to join him in getting things done for the American people, including in the areas of:
Keeping Our Economy Strong While Balancing The Budget
The President has presided over a record 50 consecutive months of job growth - the longest uninterrupted expansion of the U.S. labor market on record. More than 8.3 million jobs have been created since August 2003, and the unemployment rate remains low at 4.7 percent. In addition, economic growth in the third quarter of 2007 was a robust 3.9 percent, the fastest growth in a year and a half.
Our growing economy has helped boost tax receipts to record levels. This helped us cut the deficit by $250 billion in the last three years. As a percentage of the economy, the deficit is now lower than the average of the last 40 years, and this year's tax revenues were the highest on record.
Congress has proposed spending increases of $205 billion over the next five years on top of the President's budget request. Congress wants to pay for these spending increases by raising taxes on the American people, which could jeopardize continued economic growth and job creation.
We are 38 days into Fiscal Year 2008, and Congress has yet to send a single spending bill to the President's desk - the worst record for a Congress in 20 years. Congress should send these spending bills to the President one at a time and in a fiscally responsible way that does not raise taxes on the American people.
Supporting Progress On The Ground In The War On Terror
Our new strategy in Iraq is allowing us to seize the initiative and begin to "return on success" - bringing troops home as we see more success in Iraq. Challenges remain, and there will be more difficult days ahead, but we are succeeding in Iraq:
- Overall levels of violence have dropped to pre-February 2006 levels. Car bombings, suicide attacks, IED attacks, and ethno-sectarian deaths are all down.
- Al Qaeda in Iraq has been dislodged from its former stronghold of Anbar province and is facing increasing backlash throughout the rest of the country.
- Remarkable "bottom up" progress is taking place at the local level, where Iraqi citizens are joining their country's security forces or working with Coalition forces to restore their communities. More work remains, particularly at the national level.
Our sustained leadership in the NATO and Coalition efforts in Afghanistan remain essential to bringing security and stability to the region while supporting developing democratic institutions.
- The Afghan National Security Forces continue to improve both in terms of quantity and quality. These forces are the key to long-term stability and security. While progress has been steady, much work remains to be done.
In a time of war, Congress is stalling on providing funds for our troops and diplomats on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nearly 75 percent of the funding request was submitted along with the President's annual budget in February of this year - there is no excuse for Congress to delay passing this critical funding for our troops. In addition, the President calls on Congress to pass a clean Defense spending bill.
Keeping America Safe By Ensuring Our Intelligence Professionals Have The Tools They Need
In August 2007, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Protect America Act, which has allowed us to close a dangerous gap in our intelligence collection. Keeping the authority to collect foreign intelligence under the Protect America Act is essential to America's security.
The tools provided by the Protect America Act will expire in early February 2008, but instead of making these tools permanent, House Democrats have introduced legislation that would make our Nation less safe by weakening them. Congress must pass a bill to ensure our Intelligence Community continues to permanently have the tools it needs in the ongoing War on Terror. We must also grant liability protection to companies facing multibillion-dollar lawsuits only because they are believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend our Nation following the 9/11 attacks.
Improving Border Security And Immigration
The President has more than doubled funding for border security and immigration enforcement - to $11.8 billion in 2008. In addition, the Administration is fulfilling its commitment to double the size of the Border Patrol since the President took office, to more than 18,000 agents by the end of 2008.
Following Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform, the Administration announced administrative reforms to improve border security within existing law. These reforms represented steps the Administration could take within the boundaries of existing law to secure our borders more effectively, improve interior and worksite enforcement, streamline existing guest worker programs, improve the current system of permanent immigration, and help new immigrants assimilate into American culture.
Ensuring Our Veterans Get The Care They Deserve
In March, President Bush signed an Executive Order creating the President's Commission On Care For America's Returning Wounded Warriors (Dole-Shalala Commission) to conduct a comprehensive review of the services America is providing to wounded service members. The Commission released its findings on July 25, 2007, and the President immediately instructed the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to implement its recommendations.
President Bush recently sent Congress legislation to implement the Dole-Shalala Commission's recommendations to modernize and improve our system of care for wounded warriors. Congress should consider this legislation promptly so that those injured while defending our freedom can get the quality care they deserve.
President Bush also calls on Congress to send him a clean veterans' spending bill by Veteran's Day.
Building A Strong National Security Team
President Bush has nominated former Federal Judge Michael Mukasey to serve as U.S. Attorney General. Judge Mukasey has a lifetime of legal experience and over 18 years of service as a Federal judge, during which time he handled some of the Nation's most important and complicated terrorism-related cases.
The job of the Attorney General is essential to the security of America. The President appreciates the vote of senators on the Judiciary Committee to forward the nomination of Judge Mukasey to the full Senate, and looks forward to a confirmation vote.
Helping Struggling American Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure
While Congress delays passing needed FHA modernization legislation, the Administration has already moved forward, using its statutory and regulatory authorities to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure.
In August, the Administration launched a new Federal Housing Administration (FHA) initiative called "FHASecure." This program will help approximately 240,000 families refinance in the next 12 months through FHA.
The Administration also helped launch a new private sector foreclosure avoidance initiative, called HOPE NOW, to help struggling homeowners find a way to refinance and stay in their homes.
The President calls on Congress to pass FHA modernization legislation. The President's FHA modernization proposal, which was first sent to the Hill in April 2006, would lower downpayment requirements, allow FHA to insure bigger loans, and give FHA more pricing flexibility.
Reducing Air Traffic Congestion And Flight Delays
President Bush has asked Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to work with airline industry and aviation officials to develop a plan to alleviate congestion and reduce delays in the most over-stressed part of our system. Secretary Peters will report back to the President before the end of the year with proposed solutions that could be in effect by next summer in the New York area.
In February, the Administration sent Congress a practical, comprehensive plan to modernize our air traffic control system, but Congress has failed to act on this proposal or address growing aviation delays in any meaningful way. The President urges Congress to act with the Administration to make bold aviation reforms this fall.
Creating New Opportunities For American Workers And Farmers By Expanding Free Trade
We have expanded trade agreements from three countries in 2001 to 14 countries today. Expanded trade is benefiting our economy - total U.S. exports of goods and services last year were up 12.7 percent to $1.4 trillion, an all-time record. Rising U.S. exports are driving economic growth and helping offset the housing slump.
The Administration reached out to Congress, and in May, we forged a bipartisan agreement to clear the way for Congressional approval of trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.
The President calls on members of Congress to pass pending trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. These agreements will expand access to overseas markets, strengthen democratic allies, and level the playing field for American workers, farmers, and small businesses.
The President calls on Congress to improve and reauthorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. The Federal government has a responsibility to help workers who have been adversely impacted by trade to obtain the retraining and interim benefits they need to transition to good jobs with good wages.
Getting Results For America's Children Through No Child Left Behind
The recent Nation's Report Card shows the No Child Left Behind Act is getting results for America's children. Scores showed across-the-board improvement in 4th and 8th grade reading and math, with record highs for minority students.
- In math, scores for 4th and 8th graders were the highest they have ever been, and in reading, scores for 4th graders were also the highest on record.
- The Report Card also showed African-American and Hispanic students are making significant progress, posting all-time highs in a number of categories.
The President calls on Congress to send him a bipartisan bill that reauthorizes and strengthens this effective piece of legislation, while holding firm to accountability standards, parental options, and the goal of every child reading and doing math on grade level by 2014.
Addressing The Challenge Of Climate Change And Improving Energy Security
The President launched a new initiative to bring together the world's major economies to develop a new international approach on energy security and climate change. President Bush hosted the world's major economies this past September, in the first of a series of meetings under this initiative to develop a detailed contribution to address energy security and climate change when the Kyoto Protocol targets expire in 2012.
This initiative follows the President's proposal of the "Twenty in Ten" initiative to increase energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting U.S. gas consumption by 20 percent over the next ten years.
The Administration has sent Congress legislative proposals to achieve the "Twenty in Ten" goal and will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan bill. In the meantime, President Bush has directed his Administration to take the first steps toward regulations based on the "Twenty in Ten" goal. The President has directed members of his Administration to complete this process by the end of 2008.
Improving Import Safety
In July, President Bush signed an Executive Order creating the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety. This working group conducted a comprehensive review of current import safety practices to determine where improvements can be made. It reported its initial findings to the President in September 2007.
The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety presented to President Bush its Action Plan on November 6th, 2007, which contains short- and long-term recommendations for continuing to improve the safety of imports entering the United States. The Action Plan proposes a strategy focused on a risk-based prevention with verification model that allocates import safety resources based on risk. It proposes steps to replace the current "snapshot" approach to import safety, in which inspections are made at the border, with a cost-effective, prevention-focused model that maximizes the impact of public and private safeguards by identifying and targeting critical points in the import life cycle where risk is greatest and focusing attention and resources on these areas.
The President Looks Forward To Working With Congress To Reauthorize SCHIP In A Way That Covers Poor Kids First
The President strongly supports reauthorizing SCHIP in a way that covers poor children first. He believes this program should be extended soon so that poor children do not lose health care because of partisan politics.
Despite knowing that the President would veto the measure, both houses of Congress have now passed a second SCHIP bill with major flaws - in particular, the failure to cover poor children first. Congress' latest SCHIP bill shifts children with private insurance onto the government rolls, uses taxpayers' dollars to subsidize middle class families with incomes up to $62,000 per year, and raises taxes - and it does all this while costing even more than the first bill vetoed by the President.
