Homeland Security

Bush Outlines 10-Year Plan to Counter Biological Weapons

(Aim is to improve vaccines, treatments for smallpox, anthrax, other
agents) (2560)
President Bush told scientists at the National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Maryland February 3 that he has asked the U.S. Congress to
approve a $6 billion, 10-year program to make available safer and more
effective vaccines and treatments against agents like smallpox,
anthrax, botulinum toxin, e-bola and plague.
"We already have the knowledge and ability to manufacture some of the
vaccines and drugs we need, yet we have had little reason to do so up
until now because the natural occurrence of these diseases in our
country is so rare," Bush said. "But the world changed on Sept. 11,
2001, and we've got to respond to that change.
"In light of the new threats, we must now develop and stockpile these
vaccines and these treatments. Right now, America must go beyond our
borders to find companies willing to make vaccines to combat
biological weapons. Two main drug therapies used to treat anthrax are
produced overseas. We must rebuild America's capacity to produce
vaccines by committing the federal government to the purchase of
medicines that combat bioterror," the president said.
"Under Project Bioshield, the government will have the spending
authority to purchase these vaccines in huge amounts, sufficient to
meet any emergency that may come. Project BioShield will give our
scientific leaders greater authority and flexibility in decisions that
may affect our security. Our labs will be able to hire the experts,
get more funding quickly, and build the best facilities to accelerate
urgently needed discoveries," Bush said.
"Like other great scientific efforts, Project BioShield will have many
applications beyond its immediate goals. As scientists work to defeat
the weapons of bioterror, they will gain new insights into the
workings of other diseases. This will also break new ground in the
search for treatments and cures for other illnesses. This could bring
great benefits for all of humanity, especially in developing countries
where infectious diseases often go uncontrolled."
Bush, in his remarks, also grieved the loss of the seven Columbia
astronauts.
"And while we grieve the loss of these astronauts, the cause of which
they died will continue, America's journey into space will go on,"
Bush said to applause.
"The spirit of modern science embodied in our space program can be
found here at NIH, where each day you make enormous progress against
disease and suffering -- these achievements that come about through
the great ingenuity and determination and the serious moral purpose of
America's scientific community."
Following is the transcript of the President's remarks:
(begin transcript)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
February 3, 2003
Remarks by the President on the Bioshield Initiative
Natcher Building, National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for that warm welcome. It's a delight to be here
at the National Institutes of Health, a center of excellence, a center
of the brilliance of the American people. It is a place where so many
good people do work every day to help save lives. And we're thankful
for that. America is really proud of what you do here. NIH is a great
credit to America. (Applause.)
Two days ago, America was yet reminded again of the sacrifices made in
the name of scientific discovery. The seven brave men and women from
the Columbia will be remembered for their achievements, their heroism
and their sense of wonder. Our prayers are with their families and
their loved ones.
Their 16-day mission held the promise of answering scientific problems
that allude us here on earth. Columbia carried in its payroll [sic]
classroom experiments from some our students in America. I hope these
children, our future scientists, will continue to ask questions,
continue to explore, continue to discover.
And while we grieve the loss of these astronauts, the cause of which
they died will continue, America's journey into space will go on.
(Applause.) The spirit of modern science embodied in our space program
can be found here at NIH, where each day you make enormous progress
against disease and suffering -- these achievements that come about
through the great ingenuity and determination and the serious moral
purpose of America's scientific community.
Now our scientists have been called to meet a different kind of
challenge: man's efforts to use diseases as weapons of war and terror.
This threat has placed research scientists at the center of our
mission to defend the American people. It has put NIH squarely in the
midst of our war to defend America and to defeat international
terrorism. With focus and determination and necessary resources, this
government will act before dangers are upon us.
I want to thank Tommy Thompson for his leadership at the Department of
Health and Human Services. And I want to thank my friend, Tom Ridge,
for taking on the Department of Homeland Security, the new agency
designed to coordinate federal assets over state and local assets in
order to protect -- better protect America.
I'm honored that members of the United States Congress have joined us.
Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts is with us; thank you, Senator
Kennedy. And Chris Cox of California; Jim Turner of Texas; Chris Van
Hollen of Maryland.
I want to thank Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who is the Director of the
Institute -- the National Institutes of Health, for his fine, fine
leadership of this really important institution. He really is doing a
fine job. You know, when I picked him, I thought he would do okay --
(laughter) -- he's far exceeded my expectations. (Applause.) He's
really, really a good man who is honoring our country with his
leadership.
Tony Fauci, of course, I've known him for a long time. He is a
distinguished Director of the National Institute of Allergies and
Infectious Diseases -- one of the generals in the war against
HIV/AIDS, for which we are really grateful, Tony, for your dedication.
(Applause.) I want to thank -- Mark McClellan is here with us, the
Director of the Food and Drug Administration. I appreciate your
leadership, Mark, on this incredibly important agency.
Gary Nabel is with us. He is the Director of the Vaccine Research
Center, who just took us on a really interesting tour. I asked him if
this is the best in the world, and he said, you bet, not only do we
have the best equipment in the world, Mr. President, we've got the
best people in the world working there. And I want to thank you for
your leadership, Gary. (Applause.)
And I want to thank all of the hard-working employees from the
National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration,
the Department of Health and Human Services and the new Department of
Homeland Security who are here today. Thank you for your dedication to
our country. Thank you for working long hours, that enable me to go
out to the countryside and say to the American people there's a lot of
good folks working long, hard hours to protect you, do the best we can
do to make sure America is safe and secure.
Today, I sent to the United States Congress my budget for fiscal year
2004. The budget keeps the fundamental commitments of our government,
including our commitments to be good stewards with taxpayers' money. I
propose that discretionary federal spending increase by no more than 4
percent this year. That's about as much of family income is expected
to grow. It seems like a reasonable benchmark for the federal budget.
Within that limit we can fund essential priorities at home and abroad,
and meet the responsibility to show spending discipline in Washington,
D.C.
The first responsibility of our government is to defend our nation.
The attacks of September the 11th, 2001 awakened America to the
dangers of a new era. We face a different kind of threat than we were
used to.
On that morning, we saw the face of an enemy that will use an means to
strike America -- no matter how much destruction it causes, no matter
how many innocent lives were lost. The kind of men who would seize
planes filled with innocent people and crash them into buildings would
not hesitate to use biological or chemical or nuclear weapons. They
wouldn't hesitate at all. They don't value life like we value life in
America. They don't see every life as precious, like we see every life
as precious in America.
We have every reason to believe that terrorists and outlaw regimes
would turn these weapons on the United States. We've been warned. On
September the 11th, 2001, they clearly showed what they think about
our country. And we will heed the lessons of 2001 -- September the
11th, 2001.
We know that our enemies have been working to acquire weapons of mass
destruction. That is a fact. If their ambitions were ever realized,
they would set out to inflict catastrophic harm on the United States,
with many times the casualties of September the 11th.
So we're going to do everything in our power to protect the people and
to prevent that day from ever happening. Across the world, we're
making a determined effort with a lot of friends to round up
terrorists wherever they hide, whatever cave they may be in, and bring
them to justice. It doesn't matter how long it's going to take. One by
one, we are going to dismantle their networks, so that America and our
friends and allies are safe from harm.
We're working with international authorities to track and control
nuclear weapons. We seek to strengthen global agreements banning the
production and shipment of missile technologies and weapons of mass
destruction. We're working with others in the world to face the new
threat.
And in Iraq, where a brutal regime is arming to threaten the world --
the peace of the world, we have made our intentions very clear. If the
dictator does not disarm, if he doesn't get rid of his weapons of mass
destruction, then the United States will lead a coalition to disarm
him. And we will do so in the name of peace, and we will do so for the
security of the American people.
Also, as we confront dangers abroad, we're taking unprecedented action
to protect the homeland. We've stepped up security at our borders and
ports, posted federal screeners in airports, begun vaccinating troops
and first responders against smallpox. And we have stockpiled enough
vaccine to inoculate the entire population.
We are proposing billions of dollars to help first responders and
hospitals increase their effectiveness. The Congress needs to finish
the appropriations process as soon as possible, so we can get that
money to the local governments.
We're putting in place a national system of air sensors to detect
biological attack. These are responsible and essential measures to
protect our homeland and our people. And in the years to come, we must
broaden our defenses against the use of diseases as a weapon.
In my State of the Union address, I asked Congress to approve a
comprehensive plan for research and production of needed drugs and
vaccines, a plan that we call Project BioShield. My budget requests
almost $6 billion to quickly make available safer and more effective
vaccines and treatments against agents like smallpox, anthrax,
botulinum toxin, e-bola and plague.
We already have the knowledge and ability to manufacture some of the
vaccines and drugs we need. Yet, we have had little reason to do so up
until now, because the natural occurrence of these diseases in our
country is so rare. But the world changed on September the 11th, 2001,
and we've got to respond to that change.
In light of the new threats, we must now develop and stockpile these
vaccines and these treatments. Right now, America must go beyond our
borders to find companies willing to make vaccines to combat
biological weapons. Two main drug therapies used to treat anthrax are
produced overseas. We must rebuild America's capacity to produce
vaccines by committing the federal government to the purchase of
medicines that combat bioterror.
Under Project Bioshield, the government will have the spending
authority to purchase these vaccines in huge amounts, sufficient to
meet any emergency that may come. Project BioShield will give our
scientific leaders greater authority and flexibility in decisions that
may affect our security. Our labs will be able to hire the experts,
get more funding quickly, and build the best facilities to accelerate
urgently needed discoveries.
We'll have a better and safer smallpox vaccine, antibodies to treat
botox, sophisticated devices that can confirm a case of anthrax
infection almost instantly. We will ensure that promising medicines
are available for use in an emergency. Like other great scientific
efforts, Project BioShield will have many applications beyond its
immediate goals. As scientists work to defeat the weapons of
bioterror, they will gain new insights into the workings of other
diseases. This will also break new ground in the search for treatments
and cures for other illnesses. This could bring great benefits for all
of humanity, especially in developing countries where infectious
diseases often go uncontrolled.
America's war on terror has tested this nation, has tested our
resolve, our will, our determination, and I'm confident that we can
call upon our resources and strengths to prevail. There is no doubt in
my mind, the men and women of our scientific community are among this
country's greatest strengths. HIV/AIDS once meant only terrible
suffering and certain death. Now in America, there are life-extending
treatments for AIDS, treatments we are going to share across the
world.
This great, and strong, and mighty nation will not only work to keep
the peace, we will work to make sure society is a more compassionate
place. We weep for those who suffer on the continent of Africa, and we
intend to do something about it. (Applause.)
Our scientists have made significant gains in curing some forms of
cancer. And we're going to continue to work hard to make sure that we
make progress to curing all of cancer.
Illnesses that haunted other generations, such as polio and measles,
are now part of the past because of the vision and ingenuity of the
men and women who work here in NIH. This new century brings an urgent
need to apply this vision and ingenuity to the defense of this nation.
And you are up for the task.
I look forward to working with the United States Congress to get
Project BioShield out of its committees, onto the floor, onto my desk,
so you all can work on behalf of the American people, so you can use
your God-given talents, your fantastic brains, your clear vision to
better protect America. This is the right course of action. This is
what we owe the American people. And this is what we will deliver.
It is such an honor to be here, a place of healing and hope, a place
of genius and vision. Again, I want to thank you all very much for
your hard and tireless work, on behalf of a grateful nation.
May God bless what you do, and may God continue to bless the United
States of America. (Applause.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)