White House Gaggle

By Ellen Ratner
President's Schedule:

The President had his usual round of briefings and then will meet with Bono on AIDS issues. He will have a roundtable with regional media on his Clear Skies Initiative and will also have a roundtable with state officers and other interested parties on Clear Skies. There will be an "Ask the White House" online with Mike Brown of the Department of Homeland Security on impending Hurricane Isabel.


There will be a State Department briefing at 12:45 EST and a Pentagon briefing at 1:30 with General Pace. There was some discussion about the White House releasing a transcript of the roundtable with regional media. There are not current plans to release the transcript.

Hurricane Isabel:

Secretary Ridge made the rounds of the morning shows talking about Hurricane preparedness. The White House has been working with FEMA and the Office of Personnel on preparations for the Hurricane. The President still has plans to go to Camp David on Thursday.

Iraq:

The President has been working with his international counterparts to increase international participation. He will not be involved in the meeting with France, Britain, and Germany. He has also been in contact with the other members of the permanent five.

EPA nomination:

Claire Buchan, who briefed today, said that Utah's Governor is a "well regarded individual and a consensus builder." The President urges the Senate to act quickly on this nomination said Buchan. Asked about the objections of Senator Clinton, Buchan said they have responded to her letters and offered to meet with her.

Israel:

There are no decisions on loan guarantees.

Trade:

Buchan said that the Cancun talks "were a missed opportunity" and that the WTO members will have to assess what has happened.... It is inevitable that there will be a pause in the negotiations."

White House Gaggle

By Ellen Ratner
Schedule:

The President made remarks after church this morning, observed a moment of silence and had his usual morning briefings. He has a meeting with the Secretary of State. Later today he will go to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he will be with approximately thirty patients and their families and award eleven purple hearts.



On Friday the President will visit Ft. Stewart to meet with the 3rd Infantry Division. He will then attend a fundraiser in Texas and spend the weekend at Camp David.

The White House announced the President will travel to Monroe, Michigan, on Monday and then Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. His remarks in Michigan will focus on environmental protection.

Bin Laden Tape and Security Issues:

The President was briefed on the tape this morning. McClellan said that there are increasing indications that al Qaeda wants to strike US interests abroad. McClellan said that there would be readout from the intelligence community. He also said that an advisory was sent out that we remain under the current threat level and that it is a reminder that "there are still those that are enemies of peace and freedom." He said that Afghanistan was no longer a "safe haven for the Taliban."

Iraq:

McClellan said that Iraq has "become a central battlefield because of the progress we have made." He also said that the international community has a stake in building a free and democratic Iraq "and that the international community has a shared goal of transferring leadership to the Iraqi people as soon as possible." During a fair part of the gaggle McClellan was questioned by Fox News Channel's Goler and others about the cost to taxpayers if the international community does not make up the difference in the cost of rebuilding Iraq. The total estimated cost is 75 billion dollars. The US has budgeted 20 billion (for reconstruction) out of the 87 requested by President Bush. 12 billion is to come from oil revenues this year with 20 billion in the following years, leaving a huge gap. When questioned about it, McClellan would only say that "we are basing our assessments based on the facts on the ground."

Overtime:

The White House position remains the same. McClellan said that the bill "restores overtime protections that have eroded over the last 50 years for white collar workers and that the Labor Department estimates that it will add 1.3 million people who will be legible for overtime pay. He said that it does not apply to workers covered by collective bargaining. He also said that the Labor Department went through an extensive period of public commentary garnering 80 thousand public comments on this rule.

Mid-East:

McClellan said that the two-state vision is a hopeful vision and that "all parties have important responsibilities for peace to prevail." He again reiterated the need to dismantle terrorist forces. Regarding Howard Dean's position on Israel he said, "we are not going to insert ourselves into the Democratic Primary."

White House Gaggle

By Ellen Ratner
Schedule:

The President had his usual briefings and then will meet with the Secretary of Defense. Later this morning he will meet with the Dalai Lama where they will discuss the protection of human rights and other issues; this is the second visit of the Dalai Lama to meet with the President. He will also meet with the Prime Minister of Kuwait. The meeting with members of Congress on the Energy Bill has been changed to next week. The President will make a speech at the FBI today and then screen the movie "Twin Towers" with firefighters and police officers from New York and others.



Speech at FBI Training Center:

The focus of the speech will be Homeland Security, and it will also have references to 9/11. The speech will be made in front of new DEA agents as well as members of the Marine Corps, District Attorneys and others. The speech will also have an update on the war on terrorism and the importance of the strategy of staying on the offensive. The speech will also focus on the historic and significant action of transforming the FBI, and the need to give law enforcement more tools. The President will encourage Congress to act on several measures that have already been submitted in Congressional bills. He will give three examples of how "Congress needs to amend the law" and to address the disparities in the laws "that make no sense." McClellan said that people charged with drug offenses are denied bail but people charged with certain terrorism crimes are let out. He cited one person released on bail that fled the country. He also cited the death penalty which applies to serious crimes but does not apply to certain terrorism crimes.

Scott McClellan said that the President will discuss the need for an "administrative subpoena." Asked directly if this was "Patriot Two" he said that what the President was supporting was already in various pieces of proposed legislation.

Palestinian Prime Minister:

McClellan said that the new cabinet formed by the Prime Minister needs to demand that all acts of terrorism cease and that White House remains fully committed to working with the Palestinians as well the Israelis. He said that the Palestinian Authority needs to take immediate steps to crack down on terrorism and crack down and dismantle terrorist organizations and that the new Prime Minister needs to unify forces.

Congressional Bills:

Asked about the electrical grid McClellan stressed the importance of moving forward on the Energy Bill. When asked about the Competitive Sourcing and Appropriations bills he said it was better to lower the cost to taxpayers and The White House will continue to work with Congress on it.

9/11 Anniversary:

The President will address the Anniversary in his remarks today and views it as a somber day for prayer and refection.

White House Gaggle

By Ellen Ratner
Morning Gaggle the White House
September 3, 2003

SCHEDULE

The President had his usual round of briefings and had breakfast with Prime Minister Wim Kok of the Netherlands who Scott McClellan called our 'ally in the fight against terrorism.' They also discussed NATO. Today the President will meet with the Secretary of Defense and sign The Free Trade Implementation Act with Chile and Singapore. This afternoon he will meet with The Speaker and Senate Majority Leader as well as House and Senate Republican Leaders to discuss legislative priorities.



IRAQ

Asked whether the President had changed his mind in terms of the United Nations, McClellan said, 'The United Nations has a vital role in the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq.' He reiterated that Secretary Powell visited the United Nations two weeks ago and that 'some nations feel like they need additional authority from the United Nations.' He mentioned India as one of those countries. Secretary Powell will now work with members of The Security Council to complement and build on Resolution 1483. Powell also said 'The United Nations has been working on a coalition for a long time now.' Asked about Ambassador Bremer's role, he said that 'Bremer is Head of the Coalition's Provisional Authority.' Whether Bremer would still be in charge was not answered directly. (The President will be addressing The United Nations in three weeks.) Asked about troops coming home, he said 'these are decisions that we rely on the commanders in the field to make.' Asked about the Congressional Budget Office report on strain on Force structure McClellan referred it to the Department of Defense.

CONGRESSIONAL AND OTHER ISSUES

On Child Care and the Child Care Tax Credit, McClellan said 'Congress needs to act to complete this.' Asked about the new Emergency Medical Care Rule, McClellan said that 'there has been an extensive public comment period and that an ambulance owned by a hospital will now not be required to return to the owning hospital if another hospital is closer.' He was not able to clarify much more about this.

White House Gaggle

By Ellen Ratner
Morning Gaggle
The White House
September 2, 2003

Schedule:

Scott McClellan began the briefing saying it was like the first day back in
school. The President had his usual briefings and will have lunch with Fed


Chairman Greenspan. Then he will be given the first football of the 84th NFL
season which begins on September 4th. Later today the President has his
regular meeting with Secretary Powell. Secretary Ridge will be discussing
Homeland Security at the American Enterprise Institute this afternoon,

Iraq:

Questioned about Mr. Armitage's statement that the US might give up some powers
for more UN involvement, Scott said that a number of ideas are being discussed.
He also said that we will welcome more International troops in Iraq. Thirty one
countries are either participating or are in discussions with the United
States. Scott said that the President remains focused on his high priorities
including National and Economic Security. "Iraq is central to winning the war
on terrorism." McClellan went on to say that the President will work closely
with Congress on Iraq and that the President made sure that there were all the
resources necessary to win the battle in Iraq and that he "will (now) spend
what is necessary to secure peace. The situation remains fluid." The White
House will work with the coalition and the DOD to "determine needs and the
precise costs of going forward." He later said that the UN is playing a vital
role in Iraq and will continue to have a vital role. The President's meeting
with Paul Bremmer has been canceled as Mr. Bremmer went back to Iraq.

Jobs:

Asked about the President.s statement that we lost thousands of jobs when the
figure is in the millions, McClellan said the President is acting to address
our economic needs. He said that there are a lot of positive signs on the
economy and that the President is "cautiously optimistic." He said the
President wants to modernize Medicare and enact an Energy bill. Asked about the
new position that the President announced yesterday he said the person selected
will focus on manufacturing jobs. Questioned about NAFTA he said that "free
trade must be fair trade as well." Secretary Snow is also vesting China on this
issue as well.

Causality Stats:

Scott said he would look into it and said that the troops are "doing a good
job."