23 January 2002
Transcript: Bush Proposes Big Spending Increase for War on Terror
(Gives first details of FY 2003 budget in Washington speech) (1990)
President Bush will ask the U.S. Congress to increase military
spending in the coming fiscal year by nearly $50,000 million, to pay
for the war on terrorism.
Bush gave the first details of the $2,000,000 million budget for
fiscal year 2003, beginning October 1, in a January 23 speech to the
Reserve Officers Association in Washington.
"Our fight against terrorism began in Afghanistan, but it's not going
to end there," Bush said.
"We still face a shadow enemy who dwells in the dark corners of the
Earth. Dangers and sacrifices lie ahead, yet America will not rest, we
will not tire until every terrorist group of global reach has been
found, has been stopped, and has been defeated."
Strengthening the military "will be the priority" of the budget he
submits to Congress, Bush said. The administration will send its
budget plan to Congress February 4.
It will ask Congress to provide the Pentagon an increase of $48,000
million, bringing that budget for the new fiscal year within range of
$380,000 million. If approved by the House and Senate the funds would
amount to the largest increase in military spending in 20 years, Bush
said.
The extra money would fund another pay raise for military service
personnel and permit the acquisition of more precision weapons and the
building of missile defenses.
To keep Americans safe from terrorists at home, the president said his
budget will also increase funding for Homeland Defense initiatives
that will permit the hiring of 30,000 new federal airport security
workers and 300 more FBI agents.
In addition, Bush said, the Homeland Security budget will provide for
the purchase of new equipment to improve the safety of the mail and
protect the men and women who deliver it; a major research program to
combat the threat of bioterrorism; modernization of the nation's
public health laboratories so they can better detect and treat
outbreaks of disease; anti-terrorist training for state and local fire
fighters, police and rescue workers; and steps to better secure the
nation's borders.
Following is the White House transcript:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
January 23, 2002
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT RESERVED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION LUNCHEON
Washington Hilton Hotel
Washington, D.C.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. At ease. (Laughter.) I want to thank you
all very much for such a warm welcome. It's an honor to be here, and
it's an honor to receive the Minuteman Award. I'm in pretty good
company. (Applause.) Scoop Jackson, Strom Thurman, President Ford,
President Reagan, and the best Dad a guy could ever have. (Applause.)
It's a high privilege to be here with the men and women of the
Reserves Officers Association. For 80 years you stood up for America
and the people who wear its uniform. Today, many Reserve officers are
on duty in our campaign against terror. Today, the Guard and Reserve
are fighting a two-front war -- one in Central Asia, and one here at
home.
The Air Force Reserve alone has flown more than 3,000 sorties over
Afghanistan, and more than 800 sorties to protect American cities. In
this hour of need, America is depending on our Reserve officers. You
are not letting us down, and America is grateful. (Applause.)
We're in a fight for freedom and for the security of the American
people. We're in a fight for the values of civilization. And the
terrorists, the evil ones who targeted America are learning something
-- they picked the wrong enemy. (Applause.) Whatever it takes,
whatever it costs, this patient, this resolved nation will win the
first war of the 21st century. (Applause.)
I want to thank Chip for his fine introduction and for picking me for
the award. (Laughter and applause.) I see Secretary of the Army White
is here. General Jumper is here. I'm sure I'm going to miss somebody
-- David Chu is here, and other members of one of the finest teams,
one of the finest national security teams a President has ever put
together. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) And I appreciate the
Reserve chiefs, as well. Thank you for your service to the country.
(Applause.)
You know, it has been four and a half months since September the 11th.
It's been four and a half months since we've been attacked. Sometimes
it seems like a long time. But one thing is for certain -- when you
think about the nature of the war we face, four and a half months is
not a very long time. And yet, we've done a lot. We've accomplished a
lot. (Applause.)
One thing is for certain; this great nation has risen to the
challenge. (Applause.) One of the most brutal and repressive regimes
ever, the Taliban, is now out of business. (Applause.) We've smoked
members of al Qaeda out of their caves. We've destroyed their bunkers.
And the global network of terrorists has seen the first glimpse of
their fate.
We've sent food and medical shipments to the suffering people of
Afghanistan. We've helped them organize a new government that
represents all the people. And this proud military, and this great
nation has liberated people. We've liberated women and children who
lived under the severe hand of the most repressive Taliban.
(Applause.)
And these gains are a tribute to the United States military. There
were no doubt in my mind that when I unleashed our great military, our
men and women would perform bravely. They have not let us down.
(Applause.) Our military is relentless -- I mean, relentless -- in
pursuing the terrorists. And at the same time, we've shown great care
in protecting innocent life.
They serve with skill and dedication. Our commanders are patient;
they're not restless. They know that they've got the backing of the
administration and the American people; that I'm patient; the people
are patient. We all know that we've entered a difficult phase in our
first theater in the war against terror; that while, in the first
couple of months, we saw great success on the ground, we're now on a
manhunt, one person at a time. No matter how long it takes, no matter
where we have to look, our United States military will patiently and
surely hunt down the murderers and killers and terrorists, and bring
them, one by one, to justice. (Applause.)
Our fight against terrorism began in Afghanistan, but it's not going
to end there. We still face a shadowy enemy who dwells in the dark
corners of the earth. Dangers and sacrifices lie ahead. Yet, America
will not rest, we will not tire until every terrorist group of global
reach has been found, has been stopped, and has been defeated.
(Applause.)
We have a special responsibility to defend freedom. And I accept that
responsibility, and so does our military, and so do the American
people. And I have the responsibility to prepare the nation for all
that lies ahead. Next week I will go before Congress to lay out my
priorities for the coming year. There will be no room for
misunderstanding. The most basic commitment of our government will be
the security of our country. We will win this war; we will protect our
people; and we will work to renew the strength of our economy.
Our first priority is the military. The highest calling to protect the
people is to strengthen our military. And that will be the priority of
the budget I submit to the United States Congress. (Applause.) Those
who review our budget must understand that we're asking a lot of our
men and women in uniform, and we'll be asking more of them in the
future. In return, they deserve every resource, every weapon needed to
achieve the final and full victory.
My '03 budget calls for more than $48 billion in new defense spending.
This will be the largest increase in defense spending in the last 20
years, and it includes another pay raise for the men and women who
wear the uniform. (Applause.)
We will invest in more precision weapons, in missile defenses, in
unmanned vehicles, in high-tech equipment for soldiers on the ground.
The tools of modern warfare are effective. They are expensive. But in
order to win this war against terror, they are essential. Buying these
tools may put a strain on the budget, but we will not cut corners when
it comes to the defense of our great land. (Applause.)
Another priority is to protect our people from future terrorist
attacks. And so the second priority in my budget will be a major new
increase in spending for homeland security. The federal government has
already acted quickly to increase the number of sky marshals, to
support the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history, to acquire
antibiotics for large-scale treatment of anthrax, to deploy hundreds
of Coast Guard cutters and aircraft and small boats to patrol ports,
and to station 8,000 National Guardsmen in the nation's airports.
All this came in response to a sudden emergency. Now we must undertake
a sustained strategy for homeland defense. In our next budget, we move
forward to complete the hiring of 30,000 new federal airport security
workers. We will hire an additional 300 FBI agents to help fight the
war on terror. We'll purchase new equipment to improve the safety of
the mail, and protect the men and women who deliver our mail. We'll
begin a major program of research to combat the threat of
bioterrorism. We'll modernize public health labs throughout the
country, improving their capacity to detect and treat outbreaks of
disease. We will ensure that state and local firemen and police and
rescue workers are prepared for terrorism. And we will do more to
secure our borders.
The American people are on watch against future attacks. And so will
their government. The truth of the matter is, though, in order to
fully secure America and our allies, those of us who love and defend
freedom, in order to make sure we're safe in the long run, we must
find the terrorists wherever they think they can hide, and, as I like
to say, get 'em. (Applause.)
Another priority of the budget is to fight the recession and work on
the economic security of our people. You know, our country is united
when it comes to fighting the war. We need to be united when it comes
to battling recession, as well. It's time to set aside all the
politics, all the posturing, and figure out how to take care of
workers whose lives were affected because of the attacks on 9/11.
But as we do so, always remember that people may want an unemployment
check to help them through tough times, but what they really want is a
permanent paycheck. And, therefore, jobs ought to be the central core
of any economic development plan that we can run out of the United
States Congress. (Applause.)
So when I submit my budget to the United States Congress, these will
be my priorities. We've made our choices, to match the great
challenges and opportunities of our time. Our great challenge is to
protect the American people. Our great opportunity is to advance the
cause of justice and human dignity and freedom all across the world.
(Applause.) In this cause, our military is showing the world America
at its best. (Applause.)
And so, on behalf of an entire nation, I want to say thanks to the men
and women who wear our uniform, and thanks to the Reserve Officers
Association for your sacrifices and your support of our great land.
Thank you for having me, and may God bless. (Applause.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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