Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Meredith MacKenzie
Briefer: Scott Stanzel

Schedule: The President taped the Sunday radio address and had his normal morning briefings. He will meet and hold a press availability with the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd. Stanzel said the president hopes to talk about Afghanistan, security, and global climate change and the common interests of Australia and the United States. He will then travel in Marine One to Freehold, New Jersey to participate in the HOPE NOW Alliance roundtable. He will tour Novadebt, after which he will make a statement on the topic of housing. He will return to the White House in the late afternoon.

Novadebt is one of the partners working with the HOPE NOW Alliance which is a counseling program which helps families avoid foreclosure on their homes. Stanzel said that the administration is very committed to helping American families stay in their homes. Stanzel said he does not expect new programs or initiatives to be mentioned in the statement on housing. Stanzel said that the White House has been watching the consumer spending numbers and we do anticipate a weak quarter. The White House economic advisors do believe that growth will pick up in the second half of the year.

When asked about the economic stimulus checks, Stanzel responded that the White House believes that the money from the economic stimulus will be spent and it will provide a boost to the economy, leading to increased consumer spending and growth in the second quarter.

The topic of Sunday’s radio address will center around the economic stimulus package and the modern role of the Federal Housing Authority. Stanzel said the president believes that Congress should move forward on legislation regarding the FHA.

On recent North Korean missile tests:
North Korea should refrain from testing missiles, this kind of activity is not constructive. North Korea should declare in a complete and transparent way all its nuclear activities and work toward disarmament. What North Korea is doing is not constructive.

In the meeting with Prime Minister Rudd,Stanzel said that Iraq is a topic that will come up. “We believe that we’ve made tremendous progress in Iraq,” he said. And he added that the actions taken this week demonstrate “tremendous strides” in the capabilities of Iraqi security forces.

When asked about criticism over Guantanamo Bay Stanzel said that it is the White House to shut down Guantanamo Bay but there are obstacles with that, particularly that the U.S. can’t send detainees back to countries that don’t want to receive their detainees back or treat them humanely when they return.

Responding to a question on the Farm Bill Stanzel said that the president has said that he wants a Farm Bill that is reform-minded that does not raise taxes. Since farmers are doing very well we think this is a good time to reform our agriculture policies. The president would veto a bill that is not reform-minded, or one that raises spending. Stanzel mentioned that the next deadline is April 18th, instead of relying on extensions the Congress should work to pass new legislation and not extend current law piecemeal.

The President will throw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals opening Day. The Nationals have made the decision that the president will throw the first pitch to the manager and this decision has nothing to do with the fact that Nationals starting catcher Paul Lo Duca was mentioned in the Mitchell Report on steroids in baseball.

This upcoming meeting at the White House with British Prime Minister Brown will be Brown’s first meeting as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.