National Issues

The President yesterday declared an emergency exists in the State of Texas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts in the area struck by wildfires beginning on March 14, 2008, and continuing.

In his weekly radio address, President Bush said, "My Administration worked with Congress to pass a bipartisan economic growth package that includes tax relief for families and incentives for business investment. I signed this package into law last month -- and its provisions are just starting to kick in. My economic team, along with many outside experts, expects this stimulus package to have a positive effect on our economy in the second quarter. And they expect it to have even a stronger effect in the third quarter, when the full effects of the $152 billion in tax cuts are felt."

The President intends to nominate Lily Fu Claffee, of Illinois, to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce.

Today, the House of Representatives took a significant step backward in defending our country against terrorism and passed a partisan bill that will please class-action trial lawyers at the expense of our national security. Their bill would make it easier for class-action trial lawyers to sue companies whose only "offense" is that they are alleged to have assisted in efforts to protect the country after the attacks of September 11. These companies already face multibillion-dollar lawsuits, but even the status quo -- which our intelligence professionals have said is undermining our ability to get cooperation from the private sector -- is better than the alternative proposed in the House bill, which would preserve these lawsuits and give trial lawyers more weapons to attack companies for doing their patriotic service.

On Friday, March 14, 2008, the President signed into law S. 2745 and S.J.Res. 25.

Since 1962, National Poison Prevention Week has helped to raise awareness about the dangers of potentially poisonous medicines and household chemicals. During this week, we underscore our commitment to protect our fellow citizens from accidental poisonings and to educate families about the preventive steps that can be taken to ensure the safety of our young people.

I send greetings to those celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

President Bush on Friday said, "Our job in Washington is to foster enterprise and ingenuity, so we can ensure our economy is flexible enough to adjust to adversity, and strong enough to attract capital. And the challenge is not to do anything foolish in the meantime. In the long run, I'm confident that our economy will continue to grow, because the foundation is solid."

I transmit herewith, for Senate advice and consent to ratification, the Protocol Amending the Convention Between the United States of America and Canada with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital done at Washington on September 26, 1980, as Amended by the Protocols done on June 14, 1983, March 28, 1984, March 17, 1995, and July 29, 1997, signed on September 21, 2007, at Chelsea (the "proposed Protocol"). The proposed Protocol would amend the existing income tax Convention between the United States and Canada that was concluded in 1980, as amended by prior protocols (the "existing Treaty"). Also transmitted for the information of the Senate is the report of the Department of State with respect to the proposed Protocol.

I send my condolences to the Chaldean community and the people of Iraq on the death of Archbishop Rahho. I deplore the despicable act of violence committed against the Archbishop of Mosul. The terrorists will continue to lose in Iraq because they are savage and cruel. Their utter disregard for human life, demonstrated by this murder and by recent suicide attacks against innocent Iraqis in Baghdad and innocent pilgrims celebrating a religious holiday, is turning the Iraqi people against them. We will continue to work with the Iraqi government to protect and support civilians, irrespective of religious affiliation.

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate three individuals and appoint nine individuals to serve in his Administration: Barbara McConnell Barrett, David R. Hill, T. Vance McMahan, Darlene Bramon, William Bynum, J. French Hill, Farah M. Jimenez, Nancy J. Leake, Terri Ludwig, Neal A. McCaleb, L. Raymond Moncrief, and Edwin A. Rodriguez.

The President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Ukraine, Romania, and Croatia in April 2008 to support the advance of freedom and democracy and to strengthen the NATO Alliance to confront 21st century challenges. The President will have a bilateral program in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 1, 2008, including meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Ukraine. The President and Mrs. Bush will then travel to Bucharest, Romania to participate in the NATO Summit on April 2-4. In addition to Summit events, President Bush will have bilateral meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Romania and the NATO Secretary General. The President and Mrs. Bush will also travel to Croatia, where he will meet with the President and Prime Minister of Croatia and leaders of those countries Allied leaders decide to invite to join NATO at the Bucharest Summit.

Nominations sent to the Senate: G. Steven Agee, Barbara McConnell Barrett, David R. Hill, and T. Vance McMahan. Withdrawals sent to the Senate: Charles A. Gargano, and David R. Hill.

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Illinois and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts in the area struck by record snow and near record snow during the period of February 5-6, 2008.

President Bush on Thursday said, "This week House leaders are finally bringing legislation to the floor. Unfortunately, instead of holding a vote on the good bipartisan bill that passed the United States Senate, they introduced a partisan bill that would undermine America's security. This bill is unwise. The House leaders know that the Senate will not pass it. And even if the Senate did pass it, they know I will veto it."

President Bush on Thursday said, "Our strategy in Afghanistan is, one, to provide enough security so civil society can move forward. Any counter -- effective counterinsurgency strategy will require more than just military action. It requires a military-civilian interface. And so if you look on the screen you see brave and courageous Americans in uniform and not in uniform, because they're a part of this strategy to help Afghans, one, understand the blessings of good governance -- in other words, the folks are attempting to fight corruption at the local level so that the local citizens are able to have a positive outlook about their government. We're also working to educate people, build roads, provide good health care. And our fellow citizens are there on the ground in some difficult circumstances, all aiming to help this young democracy survive and thrive. And there are difficulties, but we're also making progress."

To commemorate Saint Patrick's Day, President Bush will host Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern at the White House on March 17, 2008. In keeping with a decades-old tradition, the two leaders will participate in the "Shamrock Ceremony," symbolizing the deep cultural roots and close ties of friendship between the United States and Ireland. The President and the Prime Minister ("Taoiseach" in Gaelic) will meet before the ceremony to discuss a range of issues.

The Congress has agreed on legislation to extend current farm programs to April 18, 2008. I will sign this legislation to avoid serious disruptions that might result if the current law is allowed to expire without a responsible farm bill enacted in its place. Farmers and ranchers deserve to know the structure of policies that affect their day-to-day business activities, and right now they face uncertainty.

President Bush on Wednesday said, " Our nation is a better nation when we help people save lives. The collective will of the American people to help somebody who suffers, who they might not ever know, lifts our national spirit. And so on our trip to Africa, I tried to make sure that the people of Africa understood this wasn't a George Bush initiative or a Laura Bush initiative or a Condi Rice initiative; this was an initiative of the most compassionate people on the face of the earth -- the American people."

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. I don't know about you, but I'm excited about the year 2008. I intend to finish strong, with my head held high. And I intend to work to see to it that we keep the White House and elect John Boehner Speaker of the House of Representatives. (Applause.) And evidently you feel the same way.