White House Gaggle

By Gregory Gorman
January 26, 2005

President’s Schedule

This morning the President will give a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House at 10:00 AM. He will make brief remarks about this morning’s helicopter crash in Iraq as well as on the progress being made to expand freedom, which he touched upon in his recent inaugural address. He will also discuss the upcoming elections in Iraq, the State of the Union address and Social Security. At 11:50 AM, the President will go to Bethesda, Maryland where he will participate in a conversation on health care initiatives. He will focus on his plan to provide all Americans with affordable, high quality health care. This afternoon the President has an interview with Al Arabia television to talk about Iraq and the upcoming elections followed by a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus at 2:35 PM in the Cabinet room. Late this afternoon, the President will meet with Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee and House Republican leaders to discuss Social Security and other priorities.

World Economic Forum

Press Secretary Scott McClellan announced that at today’s World Economic Forum meeting, the President’s Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Tobias, will speak about the significant progress that has been made on the President’s HIV/AIDS initiatives to help patients around the world. The United States now supports treatment for more people who are HIV positive than any other donor in the world. McClellan said, "The compassion and generosity of the American people help support anti-retroviral treatment for approximately 155,000 men, women and children in 15 focus countries and 172,000 worldwide".

Helicopter Crash in Iraq

McClellan commented on this morning’s helicopter crash in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq that claimed the lives of 31 U.S. Marines. McClellan said, "We are saddened any time there is loss of life of our troops who are in harm’s way. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen."