White House Gaggle

By Shirley Chang
January 25, 2005

President’s Schedule

The President spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi this morning as part of their continuing discussion on preparations for the upcoming elections. The President talked about how the elections would be a historic moment for the Iraqi people. He then had his usual round of briefings. At 1:15 pm, the President will be meeting with some African-American religious, community and business leaders at the Executive Office Building. This will be an opportunity for President Bush to talk about his second term priorities and agenda, while also having the chance to hear from these leaders about issues of interest to them. In the afternoon, President Bush will participate in an interview with The Boston Herald. Later at 3:55 pm, the President will meet with Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Republican leadership in the Cabinet Room. They will be talking about Social Security and other priorities. In the evening, President Bush will meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commanders at the White House for their annual White House meeting. Following the meeting, the President will host a dinner for the Joint Chiefs, the combatant commanders and their spouses.

The President’s Deficit Reduction Plan

President Bush plans to cut the deficit in half over the next 5 years. Scott said, " . . . We are on track to meet that goal. The President’s plan is based on creating strong economic growth and job creation here in America so that we have increased revenues as well as working with Congress to exercise spending restraint in our budget. That’s the way to accomplish that important goal." Scott noticed that the Congressional Budget Office report showed that the overall deficit will be coming down over the course of the next several years.

Ban on Same Sex Marriage

An Associated Press reporter mentioned that there is a coalition of conservative Christian groups who have written a letter to Karl Rove noting that they will not support President Bush’s Social Security campaign unless the President backs the ban on gay marriage. When asked if the President will yield, Scott answered, "The President supports a constitutional amendment that would protect the sanctity of marriage. He’s made that very clear, it is a priority for him and he will continue to make his views known about the need to move forward on a constitutional amendment." Scott said that President Bush has spent political capital campaigning on the matter and he is willing to spend more. The AP reporter continued by asking, "What was the political capital spent on?" Scott said that the President has spoken out on this issue and he has urged Congress to act on a constitutional amendment. The AP reporter also asked, "When has the President specifically urged Congress to act . . . " Scott replied, "I don’t know where you were last year."