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Skriven 2005-05-19 23:32:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050519) for Thu, 2005 May 19
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Press Gaggle by Trent Duffy
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 19, 2005

Press Gaggle by Trent Duffy
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Milwaukee, Wisconsin


  þ Social Security: Visit with young workers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
      þ Reference B
  þ Stem Cells
  þ Georgia/hand grenade
  þ Meeting with North Korean officials
  þ President's afternoon schedule at the White House
  þ Senator Roberts' legislation to expand the Patriot Act
  þ Judicial nominees/filibuster
      þ Reference B
  þ Homeland Security color-coded system
  þ Women in the military/combat
      þ Reference B

10:42 A.M. EDT

MR. DUFFY: Good morning. A quick run-through of the President's schedule.
He had his normal daily briefings, and then he just recently conducted an
interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Air Force One. We,
obviously, will not release a transcript of that, as we don't.

He'll be arriving here in Milwaukee, have a meeting with young workers --
pool at the top -- and then have a conversation on strengthening Social
Security which you all will cover, and then return to the White House and
has some other meetings this afternoon. This is the President's, by our
count, 32nd event on Social Security, and his 26th state, including D.C.

Q Is this the first with a group of young workers?

MR. DUFFY: No.

Q It's not?

MR. DUFFY: No. The President met with young workers in Northern Virginia
directly following his press conference, I think it was a day after. But I
think the audience here is mostly workers under the age of 30 -- workers
like Caren and you.

Q Right, right, there you go. (Laughter.) What's the drift or purpose of
that? Why are you focusing on younger workers now?

MR. DUFFY: I think the President will get into that in his remarks. The
reason the President feels it's important to focus on younger workers is
because for today's retirees, the system is sound. What we need to do is
take steps now to modernize Social Security, so that younger workers have
the kind of retirement security that older retirees currently do. So he's
going to focus on why it's important to move forward for this generation,
so they have an opportunity for a better retirement through a voluntary
personal account and through the kinds of things that the President has
talked about doing.

But this -- as the President has said repeatedly, this is not about today's
retirees, who are safe; there will be no change for them. But unless we do
something for tomorrow's retirees, they face some very severe benefit cuts
or severe tax increases that could really impair their economic vitality.

Q Can you talk about the stem cell issue pending in Congress right now? Are
you all developing any kind of response to the Castle legislation?

MR. DUFFY: The President's stem cell research policy is very clear. He was
the first President to authorize embryonic stem cell research in 2001,
under a principle that human life should not be created for the purpose of
destroying it. And he continues to stand firmly behind that principle. And
I would note that there has been tens of millions of dollars spent on
embryonic stem cell research at the federal government under this President
and under his policy. So that's where he stands on that, and he continues
to stand behind his policy.

Q Trent, on the grenade, can you say who decided to go ahead with the
speech after it was known that the mags had been overwhelmed and there were
lots of people in the crowd who hadn't gone through the detectors?

MR. DUFFY: I decline to comment on any types of discussions involving the
events running up to the President's events. Those are just --

Q Was it the President, himself, who decided to go ahead and do it?

MR. DUFFY: I decline to comment on those kinds of discussions. As you can
imagine, the Secret Service is taking steps, real time, minute by minute,
second by second, assessing the threat and making decisions as to protect
the security of the President. That's what took place here, and I don't
have anything beyond that.

Q But it's not a security question, it's a question of why or who in the
White House decided to go ahead with the event. It's not asking what
measures are being taken to do anything differently to protect him.

MR. DUFFY: Those are private discussions, and that's the way they'll
remain.

Q Did the President know before the event that the mags had been
overwhelmed?

MR. DUFFY: I don't have anything further for you on that.

Q Has the President gotten any more briefings on the status of the
investigation?

MR. DUFFY: No, the last one he received was yesterday morning, which Scott
indicated. I did check on that.

Q Can you talk about the report of the meeting in New York between U.S.
officials and North Korean officials?

MR. DUFFY: Sure, let me read that out for you. I can confirm that there
were working-level contacts between the United States and North Korean
officials last Friday, May 13th, in New York City -- from New York City,
rather. The last such meeting through this channel was in December of last
year. As in the past, this channel has been used to convey messages to
North Korea, messages of U.S. policy, not to negotiate, and that was the
motivation and the use of this channel this time.

This channel was used to reiterate the message, directly, that the North
Koreans need to return to the six-party talks without conditions, so we can
pursue a policy of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Obviously, the
President has been delivering this message publicly and directly in the
recent weeks and days, and the decision was made to use this channel to
communicate directly with North Korean officials.

Q Why do that now?

MR. DUFFY: It's the decision that was made. The President has been making
the case publicly and directly. So this decision was made to send this
message directly to the North Korean officials through this means.

Q Was there any response from the North Koreans?

MR. DUFFY: Not to my knowledge, at this point.

Q What was the exact level of the communication there? In other words, who
were the participants in the talk?

MR. DUFFY: I don't have names at this point. I'll see what else I can get,
throughout the course of the day, and come back and see if I can get that
for you.

Q What about the meetings this afternoon that the President is having at
the White House? Do you know anything further about who -- you know, what
those meetings are later today?

MR. DUFFY: Let me see what's on his public schedule. I think he might be
meeting with some members of Congress, but I don't know if that's --

Q Social Security?

MR. DUFFY: Not clear. Let me get that for you.

Q I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, some meetings on what?

MR. DUFFY: John was asking what kind of meetings this afternoon. I think he
might be meeting with some members of Congress. And I said I would get some
more information about that and get back to you on it.

Q Senator Roberts has some legislation to expand the Patriot Act, a lot of
talk about being able to seize records and whatnot without actually going
to a grand jury or going to a judge. Does the administration support that
legislation, and what do you think about it? There are civil liberties
concerns being raised.

MR. DUFFY: The President strongly supports the extension of the Patriot
Act. The Patriot Act is one of the front-line tools that law enforcement
uses in the domestic war on terror, and to protect the American people. The
President's most solemn obligation is to protect the security of the
American people. So he strongly supports the extension of the Patriot Act.

As to the specific proposal that was mentioned in some news reports, I
don't have anything for you on that at this point. I think that's something
that the White House will have to study and reach out to the Senator's
office about the specifics of what he may be discussing. But in general,
the Attorney General, as well as the Justice Department, has made quite
clear the kinds of things we want to see extended, and the President fully
backs that.

Q How concerned is the President that the showdown in Congress over
judicial nominees will affect his push for Social Security and other
domestic legislation?

MR. DUFFY: The President feels that the nominees that he has selected for
the federal bench deserve an up or down vote. But he also strongly believes
that Congress can do other things in the meantime; that the Senate needs to
pass an energy bill, that we have activity on Social Security and that the
rest of this country's agenda and the business of the country needs to move
forward. So he's confident that it can move forward.

Q Is he annoyed by what's going on up there right now? Does it irritate him
and annoy him that they're caught up in this kind of debate over process?

MR. DUFFY: I think the President is confident that the Congress is going to
keep working on the business of the country and it can continue to do both.
He does feel strongly that his judges deserve an up or down vote in the
Senate. And as far as the proceedings in the House and the Senate, those
are determined by the leaders in both houses.

Q Who is on the plane with him today?

MR. DUFFY: I think Congressman Ryan from Wisconsin, who is a proud member
of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Q Is he going to be on stage with him?

MR. DUFFY: I don't think so, Caren. Typically, the members are in the
audience. So I don't think so.

Q What about -- the House voted to end this color-coded system for the
Department of Homeland Security. What does the White House think about
that? Do they want to eliminate that system or improve it?

MR. DUFFY: Let me get back to you on that, Ed. I think that's something
that's under constant review and that Secretary Chertoff has discussed
recently. I don't think I have anything further than what he said about
that. But if there is anything further, I'll let you know.

Q One other. The House Armed Services Committee also voted, some people
think, to end -- potentially end women being in combat. A lot of concern
about that, as well. What does the White House think about that?

MR. DUFFY: I don't think our views on that have changed. Let me get those.
I didn't bring them back with me.*

Q Trent, just back quickly on the filibuster. Your comments were that the
President is confident that Congress can go ahead, and that's a little bit
different message than we've been hearing in recent days. It sounds like
you're saying you want this to be dealt with quickly, so that Congress can
move on. Am I right in detecting a bit of a different message on that from
the White House?

MR. DUFFY: No, I don't think so. I think the question was, can Congress go
about the business of the country, and the President is confident that it
can. I said later that the proceedings in the House and the Senate are
determined by those leaders, and I don't think that's a different message.

Q I guess previously what we've been hearing from the White House is just
that, just, you know, we leave it to the leaders to decide what to do, and
there's sort of no suggestion or hint from -- publicly from the White House
that they might want to think about doing it quickly or not doing it at
all, and it seems like you're stepping a bit in that direction.

MR. DUFFY: Didn't mean to.

Q Just clarifying.

MR. DUFFY: Thank you for clarifying. No, I didn't mean to do that at all.

Anything further? All right.

* Women are doing a tremendous job serving in our military in many
capacities. We are grateful for their service and for their sacrifice.
Current administration policy is to allow women to serve in a variety of
capacities while balancing this nation's concerns about women in direct
ground combat units.

END 10:53 A.M. EDT

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