White House Gaggle

By Scott McClellan
White House Gaggle

January 12, 2006

11:09 A.M. EST



MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good morning, everybody. Let me go
through the President's day, and a couple of updates I want to give to


you, and then I've got our federal coordinator for the hurricane
recovery and rebuilding, Chairman Powell, here with us, and he'll be
here to answer any questions you might have related to our ongoing
efforts there.



But first, let me just go through the President's day. The
President this morning spoke with acting Prime Minister Olmert. They
had a good discussion. The President called to express our deep concern
for the health of Prime Minister Sharon. We continue to pray for his
recovery. Prime Minister Sharon and his family and the people of Israel
remain in our thoughts and prayers, and the President expressed that to
Prime Minister Olmert. The President also wished the acting Prime
Minister well during this difficult period.



And following that, the President had his usual briefing. Here
when we get to New Orleans, the first event will be a roundtable that
will include five small business owners and -- it's a roundtable of
small business owners and community leaders. Mayor Nagin will be there,
Chairman Powell will be with us, the Lieutenant Governor will be there,
Lieutenant Governor Landrieu. And then there will be three congressmen
that will be participating in that roundtable.



At the beginning of that, we'll have pool coverage at the top. I
expect the President will make some brief remarks at the beginning, and
touch a little bit on where we are, in terms of the progress that's
being made in the recovery and rebuilding efforts, the challenges that
lie ahead, and the opportunities that lie ahead. This is an opportunity
for the President to remind the citizens in the Gulf Coast that we
remain firmly committed to doing everything we can to help them rebuild
their lives and rebuild their communities. We are going to be there
until the job is done. And I think that's a little bit of the tone of
what you'll hear from the President.



And then following that, we will be going to Mississippi, where the
President will be making remarks on our recovery and reconstruction
efforts. I expect there will be about 400 people in attendance there,
including some people from the school, some National Guard people, local
citizens. When we arrive in Mississippi, there at the landing zone,
there will actually be 40 first responders that will be there upon
arrival.



In those remarks, I expect he'll go over some of the key areas
we've been focused on, from housing needs to economic recovery and jobs,
education, infrastructure, development of the infrastructure, and things
of that nature.



Then this evening when we get to Florida, he'll be making remarks
at a Republican National Committee reception. And I think you all have
a little bit of information on that. And then we return back to
Washington.



I just want to draw your attention to one announcement today. The
Department of Health and Human Services will be announcing that they are
going to be allocating $100 million to state and local preparedness
efforts. This will be for the pandemic influenza response and
preparedness efforts of state and local officials.



Q One hundred million -- m?



MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, $100 million that they'll be allocating
specifically for state and local preparedness efforts when it comes to
pandemic influenza. And they'll be putting out more information on that
later today.



And with that, I'll just turn it over to Chairman Powell, see if he
has anything to add on our ongoing efforts, or he can just answer
whatever questions you might have related to today's events.



CHAIRMAN POWELL: Good morning.



Q The rebuilding plan that was unveiled yesterday that created a
lot of anger in New Orleans, and there seems to be a request for about
$17 billion from the federal government in there. What is your reaction
to that?



CHAIRMAN POWELL: The President is committed, and has told me that
the plan to rebuild New Orleans needs to be a local initiative. So I
look forward to understanding more about that plan and visiting with the
people that were involved in that plan to learn more about it. But it
will be their plan. And as I understand the plan, I will try to
understand the strategies necessary to implement that plan. I look
forward to sitting down with them and understanding more about it as
time goes by.



Q You don't have any reaction one way or the other? Is that a
--



CHAIRMAN POWELL: I don't have any reaction. I will visit more
with them. I'm going to be down there next week, and I will visit more
with them.



Q How will you and the President and the federal government in
general weigh in as that plan goes forward?



CHAIRMAN POWELL: We're not going to weigh in. It will be their
plan. It will be their plan. And as they develop the plan, we'll
understand that plan, understand the strategies that will be necessary
to implement that plan. It would be my hope that there would be one
vision, one plan as they sit down, and after a robust debate, after lots
of discussion, I want to encourage them to come up with one plan.



Q I understand that, but as it goes forward, obviously, there
will be an enormous commitment financially from the federal government.
So you're not just going to hand over the money without any say over how
it's spent. So how does that play in as things more forward?



CHAIRMAN POWELL: As that plan is developed, they have the one
vision, I will -- I understand the strategies, which will include the
monies necessary to implement that plan -- take that back to the
administration and to members of Congress with some thoughts. It's
important that the money be spent wisely; it's important that the money
be spent very -- effective stewardship of the taxpayer's money,
obviously, is very important also. But meeting the needs of the local
people with their plan is important.

Q Part of the plan is that if there's -- if not enough people
move to a neighborhood within four months to a year, they're going to
bulldoze those houses. Do you have any reaction to that? People are
very upset about that.



CHAIRMAN POWELL: Again, that's their plan, their plan. And as
they develop that plan, I will understand the strategies necessary to do
that. I'm sure there will be continued debate about that, and people
will express their views.



MR. McCLELLAN: I think the Mayor indicated they're still getting
public input, so decisions haven't been finalized.



Q It's not a done deal.



MR. McCLELLAN: We encourage them to reach a consensus, and we're
there to support their efforts as they move forward. Substantial
resources have been allocated by the federal government, more than $85
billion; $29 billion was just allocated by Congress. So we're
dedicating significant resources to help them move forward on what the
President has referred to would be a local -- locally inspired vision.



Q Now Governor Blanco's office is upset because she's in the
Netherlands, and they feel that you picked this day because she's not
there.



MR. McCLELLAN: We reached out to all those officials, and they had
another scheduling commitment. In fact, we've stay in close contact
with those officials, as well. And the Lieutenant Governor will be
present.



Q Why the three month gap?



MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, I'm glad you mentioned that, because --
to kind of give you an idea of some of our involvement in the region
over the course of that time. This is something that the President has
remained focused on. One reason we have Chairman Powell in place is to
work closely with the state and local officials to move forward on the
recovery and rebuilding efforts.



But since September, and this is not including the President and
Vice President or Mrs. Bush or Mrs. Cheney, but there have been 118
visits by Cabinet secretaries or other top administration officials,
like Chairman Powell here, or our Small Business Administrator, for
instance. And many of those departments and agencies -- or a number of
those departments and agencies have maintained a strong presence in the
region throughout that time period. The President is going to continue
visiting the region I expect throughout his presidency. This is a top
priority for the President. We've been working with Congress to move
forward to make sure that they have the resources at the federal level
to do what they need to rebuild their lives and their communities. And
we will continue to help as they move forward.



Q Can you describe the area of New Orleans where we're going for
this roundtable? What part of the city and how is it --



MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have more on that right now, but we can get
you that when we get there.



Q Is it one of the very distressed areas? Is it in the 9th
Ward?



MR. McCLELLAN: We'll get you that when we get there. You'll be
there, so we can get you more information when we get there.



Q We'll know where we are when we get there.



MR. McCLELLAN: I'll get you that information. I didn't bring it
with me, Elisabeth. (Laughter.) That's what I'm telling you.



Anything else for Chairman Powell, or on the recovery and
rebuilding efforts? Thanks for coming back.



Q On the Israel -- Israeli Radio is taking the President's call
to Olmert today as a sign that he is becoming engaged in the --



MR. McCLELLAN: Who is becoming engaged?



Q The President -- in the peace process with the acting --



MR. McCLELLAN: He's been engaged.



Q -- with the acting leader. Meaning --



MR. McCLELLAN: Secretary Rice has been in touch with the acting
Prime Minister --



Q Meaning that this call means that he's sort of recognizing
that perhaps Prime Minister Sharon is not going to come back, and he's
--



MR. McCLELLAN: It's no more than what I said at this point. He's
the acting Prime Minister; he's someone that is well known and well
respected. And we have been working with him. Secretary Rice has been
in touch with him. And we have other officials that are in the region
now, working with both Palestinian and Israeli officials. There are
some important priorities on the agenda -- the upcoming Palestinian
elections that are important to moving forward on building a Palestinian
state and moving forward on the peace process. So we remain engaged in
those important priorities, working with the parties. And Secretary
Rice put out a statement yesterday specifically talking about the
Palestinian elections.



Q Can I turn to Iran, and ask about Russia, the reports that
Russia would block any referral to the Security Council. Can you talk
about that, and how encouraged --



MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know exactly which reports you're referring
to. I know that there has been deep concern expressed throughout the
international community about the regime's behavior and intentions,
including by Russia. I've seen comments from the Russian Foreign
Minister and other officials; you've certainly seen comments from the
Europeans. I know Secretary Rice has been in close contact with her
counterparts. I think you're going to be hearing more from the
Europeans, if they haven't already on the ground. We expect to hear
more from the Europeans today, and I expect you'll hear more from
Secretary Rice later today, as well, about how we're moving ahead to
address this matter.



Q You're saying that you don't see any movement on Russia's
part, in terms of what they're willing to do? Not just what they're
saying, but what they're willing to do?



MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there's been -- as I indicated yesterday,
there's been a lot of intensive diplomacy going on. We've been in close
contact with our European friends and others and Russia -- Russia and
others -- about how to move ahead. The steps that the regime in Iran
announced are a serious escalation of the matter. It is one that is
causing growing concern within the international community. And we
remain in close contact with our European friends and others about how
to move ahead. But they're going to -- I think you're going to hear
more from some of these leaders later, and then you'll hear more from
Secretary Rice.



Q As you know, the Vice President said that sanctions would be
the number one item on the agenda if it does go to the Security Council.




MR. McCLELLAN: He indicated it was speculative at this point.



Q No, he said it would be the number one item on the agenda. So
what kind of sanctions was he referring to?



MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, the first step is to address how we
move ahead. And that's what we're in discussion -- we've been in
discussions with the Europeans and others about. And like I said, I
think you're going to hear more from the Europeans. And we've made it
very clear that if the negotiations have run their course, that there
really is no other alternative but to refer the matter to the Security
Council, because the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency
already fond the regime to be in noncompliance. The steps that they are
now taking are only a further violation of what they agreed to in the
Paris Agreement and in their international safeguard obligations. So
let's look at the step we're in right now. We'll be continuing to stay
in contact with others in the international community about it.



Q Does the President believe that the relatively new President
of Iran is somebody who he can negotiate with on these types of issues
-- that the West can negotiate with on these types of issues?



MR. McCLELLAN: You mean the United States? We don't have --



Q I know, but the West can.



MR. McCLELLAN: -- relations with Iran, the regime in Iran. We
stand with the Iranian people in their desire to seek greater freedom.
But I think that the President of the regime, his statements and actions
have only further isolated Iran from the rest of the international
community. And his comments have been condemned by many leaders;
rightly so. And his comments only further underscore the concerns we
have about the regime in Iran. Their behavior is moving in the wrong
direction. And this is an issue we're working with the international
community to address.



Anything else? Okay, thank you.



END 11:24 A.M. EST