Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, distinguished
guests and fellow citizens: America, this evening, is a nation called
to great responsibilities. And we are rising to meet them.
As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American service men and
women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing
hope to the oppressed and delivering justice to the violent, they are
making America more secure.
(APPLAUSE)
Each day, law enforcement personnel and intelligence officers are tracking
terrorist threats; analysts are examining airline passenger lists; the
men and women of our new Homeland Security Department are patrolling
our coasts and borders. And their vigilance is protecting America.
(APPLAUSE)
Americans are proving once again to be the hardest-working people in
the world. The American economy is growing stronger. The tax relief you
passed is working.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, members of Congress can take pride in the great works of
compassion and reform that skeptics had thought impossible.
You're raising the standards for our public schools, and you're giving
our senior citizens prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
(APPLAUSE)
We have faced serious challenges together, and now we face a choice:
We can go forward with confidence and resolve, or we can turn back
to the dangerous illusion that terrorists are not plotting and outlaw
regimes are no threat to us. We can press on with economic growth and
reforms in education and Medicare, or we can turn back to old policies
and old divisions.
We've not come all this way, through tragedy and trial and war, only
to falter and leave our work unfinished. Americans are rising to the
tasks of history, and they expect the same from us. In their efforts,
their enterprise and their character, the American people are showing
that the state of our union is confident and strong.
(APPLAUSE)
Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American
people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11, 2001 --
over two years without an attack on American soil -- and it is tempting
to believe that the danger is behind us.
That hope is understandable, comforting -- and false. The killing has
continued in Bali, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Mombassa, Jerusalem,
Istanbul and Baghdad. The terrorists continue to plot against America
and the civilized world. And by our will and courage, this danger will
be defeated.
(APPLAUSE)
Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to give
homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they need to
defend us.
And one of those essential tools is the Patriot Act, which allows federal
law enforcement to better share information, to track terrorists, to
disrupt their cells and to seize their assets. For years, we have used
similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug traffickers. If these
methods are good for hunting criminals, they are even more important
for hunting terrorists.
(APPLAUSE)
Key provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire next year.
(APPLAUSE)
The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule.
(APPLAUSE)
Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our
citizens. You need to renew the Patriot Act.
(APPLAUSE)
America is on the offensive against the terrorists who started this war.
Last March, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, a mastermind of September the 11th,
awoke to find himself in the custody of U.S. and Pakistani authorities.
Last August the 11th brought the capture of the terrorist Hambali, who
was a key player in the attack in Indonesia that killed over 200 people.
We're tracking Al Qaeda around the world, and nearly two- thirds of
their known leaders have now been captured or killed.
Thousands of very skilled and determined military personnel are on a
manhunt, going after the remaining killers who hide in cities and caves.
And one by one, we will bring these terrorists to justice.
(APPLAUSE)
As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting the
regimes that harbor and support terrorists and could supply them with
nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
The United States and our allies are determined: We refuse to live in
the shadow of this ultimate danger.
(APPLAUSE)
The first to see our determination were the Taliban, who made Afghanistan
the primary training base of al Qaeda killers.
As of this month, that country has a new constitution, guaranteeing
free elections and full participation by women. Businesses are opening,
health care centers are being established, and the boys and girls of
Afghanistan are back in school.
With help from the new Afghan army, our coalition is leading aggressive
raids against the surviving members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The men
and women of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free and proud
and fighting terror. And America is honored to be their friend.
(APPLAUSE)
Since we last met in this chamber, combat forces of the United States,
Great Britain, Australia, Poland and other countries enforced the demands
of the United Nations, ended the rule of Saddam Hussein, and the people
of Iraq are free.
(APPLAUSE)
Having broken the Baathist regime, we face a remnant of violent Saddam
supporters. Men who ran away from our troops in battle are now dispersed
and attack from the shadows. These killers, joined by foreign terrorists,
are a serious, continuing danger.
Yet we're making progress against them. The once all-powerful ruler of
Iraq was found in a hole and now sits in a prison cell.
(APPLAUSE)
Of the top 55 officials of the former regime, we have captured or
killed 45.
Our forces are on the offensive, leading over 1,600 patrols a day and
conducting an average of 180 raids a week. We are dealing with these thugs
in Iraq just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein's evil regime.
(APPLAUSE)
The work of building a new Iraq is hard and it is right. And America
has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right.
Last January, Iraq's only law was the whim of one brutal man. Today our
coalition is working with the Iraqi Governing Council to draft a basic
law, with a bill of rights.
We are working with Iraqis and the United Nations to prepare for a
transition to full Iraqi sovereignty by the end of June.
As democracy takes hold in Iraq, the enemies of freedom will do all in
their power to spread violence and fear. They are trying to shake the
will of our country and our friends, but the United States of America
will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.
(APPLAUSE)
The killers will fail, and the Iraqi people will live in freedom.
(APPLAUSE)
Month by month, Iraqis are assuming more responsibility for their own
security and their own future. And tonight we are honored to welcome
one of Iraq's most respected leaders: the current president of the Iraqi
Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi.
Sir, America stands with you and the Iraqi people as you build a free
and peaceful nation.
(APPLAUSE)
Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for
the better.
Last month, the leader of Libya voluntarily pledged to disclose and
dismantle all of his regime's weapons of mass destruction programs,
including a uranium-enrichment project for nuclear weapons. Colonel
Gaddafi correctly judged that his country would be better off and far
more secure without weapons of mass murder.
(APPLAUSE)
Nine months of intense negotiations involving the United States and
Great Britain succeeded with Libya, while 12 years of diplomacy with
Iraq did not. And one reason is clear: For diplomacy to be effective,
words must be credible. And no one can now doubt the word of America.
(APPLAUSE)
Different threats require different strategies. Along with nations in the
region, we're insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear program.
America and the international community are demanding that Iran meet
its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons.
America is committed to keeping the world's most dangerous weapons out
of the hands of the world's most dangerous regimes.
(APPLAUSE)
When I came to this rostrum on September 20, 2001, I brought the police
shield of a fallen officer -- my reminder of lives that ended and a task
that does not end.
I gave to you and to all Americans my complete commitment to securing
our country and defeating our enemies. And this pledge, given by one,
has been kept by many.
You in the Congress have provided the resources for our defense and
cast the difficult votes of war and peace. Our closest allies have been
unwavering. America's intelligence personnel and diplomats have been
skilled and tireless.
And the men and women of the American military, they have taken the
hardest duty. We've seen their skill and their courage in armored charges
and midnight raids and lonely hours on faithful watch. We have seen the
joy when they return and felt the sorrow when one is lost.
I've had the honor of meeting our service men and women at many posts,
from the deck of a carrier in the Pacific to a mess hall in Baghdad.
Many of our troops are listening tonight. And I want you and your families
to know: America is proud of you. And my administration and this Congress
will give you the resources you need to fight and win the war on terror.
(APPLAUSE)
I know that some people question if America is really in a war at all.
They view terrorism more as a crime, a problem to be solved mainly with
law enforcement and indictments.
After the World Trade Center was first attacked in 1993, some of the
guilty were indicted and tried and convicted and sent to prison. But the
matter was not settled. The terrorists were still training and plotting
in other nations and drawing up more ambitious plans.
After the chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it is not enough to
serve our enemies with legal papers. The terrorists and their supporters
declared war on the United States. And war is what they got.
(APPLAUSE)
Some in this chamber and in our country did not support the liberation
of Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let
us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power.
We're seeking all the facts. Already, the Kay report identified dozens
of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant
amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.
Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs
would continue to this day.
Had we failed to act, Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been
revealed as empty threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging
defiance by dictators around the world.
Iraq's torture chambers would still be filled with victims -- terrified
and innocent.
The killing fields of Iraq, where hundreds of thousands of men and
women and children vanished into the sands, would still be known only
to the killers.
For all who love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein's
regime is a better and safer place.
(APPLAUSE)
Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized.
This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain,
Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain,
Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands. .
. .
(APPLAUSE)
. . . Norway, El Salvador and the 17 other countries that have committed
troops to Iraq.
(APPLAUSE)
As we debate at home, we must never ignore the vital contributions of our
international partners or dismiss their sacrifices. From the beginning,
America has sought international support for our operations in Afghanistan
and Iraq, and we have gained much support.
There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many
nations and submitting to the objections of a few. America will never
seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.
(APPLAUSE)
We also hear doubts that democracy is a realistic goal for the greater
Middle East, where freedom is rare. Yet it is mistaken and condescending
to assume that whole cultures and great religions are incompatible with
liberty and self-government.
I believe that God has planted in every human heart the desire to live
in freedom. And even when that desire is crushed by tyranny for decades,
it will rise again.
(APPLAUSE)
As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny and despair and
anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten the
safety of America and our friends.
So America is pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the greater Middle
East. We will challenge the enemies of reform, confront the allies of
terror and expect a higher standard from our friend.
To cut through the barriers of hateful propaganda, the Voice of America
and other broadcast services are expanding their programming in Arabic
and Persian. And soon, a new television service will begin providing
reliable news and information across the region.
I will send you a proposal to double the budget of the National Endowment
for Democracy and to focus its new work on the development of free
elections and free markets, free press and free labor unions in the
Middle East.
And above all, we will finish the historic work of democracy in
Afghanistan and Iraq, so those nations can light the way for others and
help transform a troubled part of the world.
(APPLAUSE)
America is a nation with a mission, and that mission comes from our most
basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire.
Our aim is a democratic peace, a peace founded upon the dignity and
rights of every man and woman.
America acts in this cause with friends and allies at our side, yet we
understand our special calling: This great republic will lead the cause
of freedom.
(APPLAUSE)
In the last three years, adversity has also revealed the fundamental
strengths of the American economy. We have come through recession and
terrorist attack and corporate scandals and the uncertainties of war.
And because you acted to stimulate our economy with tax relief, this
economy is strong and growing stronger.
(APPLAUSE)
You have doubled the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000, reduced the
marriage penalty, begun to phase out the death tax, reduced taxes on
capital gains and stock dividends, cut taxes on small businesses, and
you have lowered taxes for every American who pays income taxes.
Americans took those dollars and put them to work, driving this economy
forward. The pace of economic growth in the third quarter of 2003 was
the fastest in nearly 20 years: new home construction, the highest in
almost 20 years; homeownership rates, the highest ever. Manufacturing
activity is increasing, inflation is low, interest rates are low,
exports are growing, productivity is high, and jobs are on the rise.
(APPLAUSE)
These numbers confirm that the American people are using their money
far better than government would have, and you were right to return it.
(APPLAUSE)
America's growing economy is also a changing economy. As technology
transforms the way almost every job is done, America becomes more
productive and workers need new skills. Much of our job growth will be
found in high-skilled fields like health care and biotechnology. So we
must respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs
in our new economy.
All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are supposed
to be learned in the early grades of our schools. Yet for too long,
for too many children, those skills were never mastered.
By passing the No Child Left Behind Act, you have made the expectation
of literacy the law of our country.
We're providing more funding for our schools -- a 36 percent increase
since 2001. We are requiring higher standards. We are regularly testing
every child on the fundamentals. We are reporting results to parents and
making sure they have better options when schools are not performing. We
are making progress toward excellence for every child in America.
(APPLAUSE)
But the status quo always has defenders. Some want to undermine the No
Child Left Behind Act by weakening standards and accountability. Yet
the results we require are really a matter of common sense: We expect
third-graders to read and do math at the third-grade level. That's not
asking too much.
Testing is the only way to identify and help students who are falling
behind. This nation will not go back to the days of simply shuffling
children along from grade to grade without them learning the basics.
I refuse to give up on any child. And the No Child Left Behind Act is
opening the door of opportunity to all of America's children.
(APPLAUSE)
At the same time, we must ensure that older students and adults can gain
the skills they need to find work now. Many of the fastest- growing
occupations require strong math and science preparation and training
beyond the high-school level.
So tonight I propose a series of measures called Jobs for the 21st
Century. This program will provide extra help to middle- and high-school
students who fall behind in reading and math, expand Advanced Placement
programs in low-income schools, invite math and science professionals
from the private sector to teach part-time in our high schools.
I propose larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with
demanding courses in high school.
(APPLAUSE)
I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges,
so they can. . . .
(APPLAUSE)
I do so so they can train workers for industries that are creating the
most new jobs.
By all these actions, we will help more and more Americans to join in
the growing prosperity of our country.
Job training is important, and so is job creation. We must continue to
pursue an aggressive, pro-growth economic agenda.
(APPLAUSE)
Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes. The tax
reductions you passed are set to expire. Unless you act. . . .
(APPLAUSE)
Unless you act, the unfair tax on marriage will go back up. Unless you
act, millions of families will be charged $300 more in federal taxes
for every child. Unless you act, small businesses will pay higher taxes.
Unless you act, the death tax will eventually come back to life.
Unless you act, Americans face a tax increase. What the Congress has
given, the Congress should not take away. For the sake of job growth,
the tax cuts you passed should be permanent.
(APPLAUSE)
Our agenda for jobs and growth must help small-business owners and
employees with relief from needless federal regulation and protect them
from junk and frivolous lawsuits.
(APPLAUSE)
Consumers and businesses need reliable supplies of energy to make
our economy run. So I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our
electricity system, promote conservation and make America less dependent
on foreign sources of energy.
(APPLAUSE)
My administration is promoting free and fair trade, to open up new
markets for America's entrepreneurs and manufacturers and farmers,
to create jobs for American workers.
Younger workers should have the opportunity to build a nest egg by saving
part of their Social Security taxes in a personal retirement account.
(APPLAUSE)
We should make the Social Security system a source of ownership for the
American people.
(APPLAUSE)
And we should limit the burden of government on this economy by acting
as good stewards of taxpayers' dollars.
(APPLAUSE)
In two weeks, I will send you a budget that funds the war, protects the
homeland and meets important domestic needs, while limiting the growth
in discretionary spending to less than 4 percent.
(APPLAUSE)
This will require that Congress focus on priorities, cut wasteful spending
and be wise with the people's money. By doing so, we can cut the deficit
in half over the next five years.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight I also ask you to reform our immigration laws so they reflect
our values and benefit our economy.
I propose a new temporary-worker program to match willing foreign
workers with willing employers when no Americans can be found to fill
the job. This reform will be good for our economy, because employers will
find needed workers in an honest and orderly system. A temporary-worker
program will help protect our homeland, allowing border patrol and law
enforcement to focus on true threats to our national security.
I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal immigration
and unfairly reward those who break our laws.
My temporary-worker program will preserve the citizenship path for
those who respect the law, while bringing millions of hardworking men
and women out from the shadows of American life.
(APPLAUSE)
Our nation's health care system, like our economy, is also in a time of
change. Amazing medical technologies are improving and saving lives.
This dramatic progress has brought its own challenge, in the rising
costs of medical care and health insurance.
Members of Congress, we must work together to help control those costs
and extend the benefits of modern medicine throughout our country.
(APPLAUSE)
Meeting these goals requires bipartisan effort. And two months ago,
you showed the way. By strengthening Medicare and adding a prescription
drug benefit, you kept a basic commitment to our seniors: You are giving
them the modern medicine they deserve.
(APPLAUSE)
Starting this year, under the law you passed, seniors can choose to
receive a drug discount card, saving them 10 to 25 percent off the retail
price of most prescription drugs, and millions of low- income seniors
can get an additional $600 to buy medicine.
Beginning next year, seniors will have new coverage for preventive
screenings against diabetes and heart disease, and seniors just entering
Medicare can receive wellness exams.
In January of 2006, seniors can get prescription drug coverage under
Medicare. For a monthly premium of about $35, most seniors who do not
have that coverage today can expect to see their drug bills cut roughly
in half.
Under this reform, senior citizens will be able to keep their Medicare
just as it is, or they can choose a Medicare plan that fits them best --
just as you, as members of Congress, can choose an insurance plan that
meets your needs.
And starting this year, millions of Americans will be able to save money,
tax-free, for their medical expenses in a health savings account.
(APPLAUSE)
I signed this measure proudly, and any attempts to limit the choices
of our seniors or to take away their prescription drug coverage under
Medicare will meet my veto.
(APPLAUSE)
On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans
can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their
individual needs.
To make insurance more affordable, Congress must act to address rapidly
rising health care costs. Small businesses should be able to band together
and negotiate for lower insurance rates so they can cover more workers
with health insurance.
I urge you to pass Association Health Plans.
(APPLAUSE)
I ask you to give lower-income Americans a refundable tax credit that
would allow millions to buy their own basic health insurance.
(APPLAUSE)
By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes,
reduce costs and improve care.
To protect the doctor-patient relationship and keep good doctors doing
good work, we must eliminate wasteful and frivolous medical lawsuits.
(APPLAUSE)
And tonight I propose that individuals who buy catastrophic health care
coverage, as part of our new health savings accounts, be allowed to
deduct 100 percent of the premiums from their taxes.
(APPLAUSE)
A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription.
(APPLAUSE)
By keeping costs under control, expanding access and helping more
Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of private medicine
that makes America's health care the best in the world.
(APPLAUSE)
We are living in a time of great change -- in our world, in our economy,
in science and medicine. Yet some things endure: courage and compassion,
reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith and race.
The values we try to live by never change. And they are instilled in us
by fundamental institutions such as families and schools and religious
congregations. These institutions, these unseen pillars of civilization,
must remain strong in America, and we will defend them.
We must stand with our families to help them raise healthy, responsible
children. And when it comes to helping children make right choices,
there is work for all of us to do.
One of the worst decisions our children can make is to gamble their
lives and futures on drugs. Our government is helping parents confront
this problem with aggressive education, treatment and law enforcement.
Drug use in high school has declined by 11 percent over the past two
years. Four hundred thousand fewer young people are using illegal drugs
than in the year 2001.
(APPLAUSE)
In my budget, I have proposed new funding to continue our aggressive,
community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal drugs. Drug-testing
in our schools has proven to be an effective part of this effort. So
tonight I propose an additional $23 million for schools that want to
use drug-testing as a tool to save children's lives.
The aim here is not to punish children, but to send them this message:
We love you, and we do not want to lose you.
(APPLAUSE)
To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics
play such an important role in our society, but unfortunately, some in
professional sports are not setting much of an example.
The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball,
football and other sports is dangerous and it sends the wrong message:
that there are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more
important than character.
So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches and
players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough and to
get rid of steroids now.
(APPLAUSE)
To encourage right choices, we must be willing to confront the dangers
young people face, even when they are difficult to talk about.
Each year, about 3 million teenagers contract sexually transmitted
diseases that can harm them or kill them or prevent them from ever
becoming parents.
In my budget, I propose a grassroots campaign to help inform families
about these medical risks. We will double federal funding for abstinence
programs so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young
people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.
(APPLAUSE)
Decisions children now make can affect their health and character for the
rest of their lives. All of us -- parents and schools and government --
must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture and
to send the right messages to our children.
A strong America must also value the institution of marriage. I believe
we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of
the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization.
Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense
of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton. That statute
protects marriage under federal law as the union of a man and a woman,
and declares that one state may not redefine marriage for other states.
Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court
order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected
representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's
voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will
upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the
constitutional process. Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.
(APPLAUSE)
The outcome of this debate is important, and so is the way we conduct
it. The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that
each individual has dignity and value in God's sight.
(APPLAUSE)
It's also important to strengthen our communities by unleashing the
compassion of America's religious institutions. Religious charities
of every creed are doing some of the most vital work in our country:
mentoring children, feeding the hungry, taking the hand of the lonely.
Yet government has often denied social-service grants and contracts
to these groups just because they have a cross or a Star of David or a
crescent on the wall.
By executive order, I have opened billions of dollars in grant money
to competition that includes faith-based charities. Tonight I ask you
to codify this into law so people of faith can know that the law will
never discriminate against them again.
(APPLAUSE)
In the past, we've worked together to bring mentors to the children
of prisoners and provide treatment for the addicted and help for the
homeless. Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in
need of help.
This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into
society. We know from long experience that if they can't find work or
a home or help, they are much more likely to commit crime and return
to prison.
So tonight, I propose a four-year, $300 million Prisoner Re-Entry
Initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide
transitional housing and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring,
including from faith-based groups.
(APPLAUSE)
America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of the prison
open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.
(APPLAUSE)
For all Americans, the last three years have brought tests we did not
ask for and achievements shared by all. By our actions, we have shown
what kind of nation we are. In grief, we have found the grace to go on.
In challenge, we rediscovered the courage and daring of a free people.
In victory, we have shown the noble aims and good heart of America. And
having come this far, we sense that we live in a time set apart.
I've been a witness to the character of the people of America, who have
shown calm in times of danger, compassion for one another and toughness
for the long haul. All of us have been partners in a great enterprise.
And even some of the youngest understand that we are living in historic
times.
Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me a letter. It began,
"Dear George W. Bush, if there is anything you know I, Ashley Pearson,
age 2" -- "age 10, can do to help anyone, please send me a letter and
tell me what I can do to save our country."
She added this P.S.: "If you can send a letter to the troops, please put,
'Ashley Pearson believes in you.'"
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed. And
yes, you have some duties yourself: Study hard in school. Listen to your
mom and dad. Help someone in need. And when you and your friends see a
man or woman in uniform, say, "Thank you."
(APPLAUSE)
And, Ashley, while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber
will do our best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free.
(APPLAUSE)
My fellow citizens, we now move forward with confidence and faith. Our
nation is strong and steadfast. The cause we serve is right, because it
is the cause of all mankind.
The momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable. And it is not
carried forward by our power alone. We can trust in that greater power
who guides the unfolding of the years. And in all that is to come,
we can know that His purposes are just and true.
May God continue to bless America.
|