White House Gaggle

By Gregory Gorman
September 29, 2005

President’s Schedule

The President had his usual intelligence briefing and his daily hurricane briefing this morning. This afternoon, President Bush will participate in a departure photo with General Myers and his family in the Oval Office. Following the photo, the President will meet with the Republican Congressional leadership to discuss the legislative agenda. Participants will include the Senate Majority Leader and Majority Whip, the Speaker of the House and the Interim House Majority Leader. Press Secretary Scott McClellan announced that the President will travel to Fort Myer, Virginia on Friday to attend an Armed Services farewell for General Myers. He will then depart for Camp David for the weekend. McClellan also announced that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will come to the White House on October 20th to discuss the effort to improve governance in Gaza as well as fighting terrorism, security reform and strengthening the economic outlook for the region.

Supreme Court Nominee

McClellan stated that the President has met with over 70 Senators and all 18 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the vacancy on the Supreme Court matching the level of consultation on nominee Judge John Roberts. When asked if the President will announce his nomination in a prime-time announcement like he did for Judge Roberts, McClellan said that he would inform the press of the format once the President is ready to make his announcement.

Tom DeLay Indictment

In response to a pointed question asking if Tom DeLay’s indictment will have a direct impact on the President’s agenda, McClellan responded in the negative. He said that the President will continue to press ahead on his agenda and he will continue to lead on important issues. McClellan went on to say that Hurricanes Rita and Katrina affected the President’s agenda but, "when you are President you have to address a number of issues". When asked to comment on Interim House Majority Leader Roy Blunt, McClellan said, "he is someone we have worked very closely with and the President looks forward to seeing him later today".

Social Security

Referring to one of the President’s major second-term agenda items, McClellan said that the American people still believe that Social Security is an important priority. The White House wants to not only save Social Security but make it permanently sound reiterating that it will become more costly over time if something is not done now to save and strengthen it. McClellan commented, "The American people elected us to focus on big problems".

Avian Flu

The administration is concerned about an outbreak of avian flu and believes that it is important to have good information sharing with leaders of Southeast Asian countries in order to prevent an outbreak in the United States. McClellan said the President will work with other leaders to address this issue. He stated, "It is a high priority for the administration".

Medicaid Waivers

When asked why the administration is opposed to temporary Medicaid waivers for the evacuees of Hurricane Katrina who lost their homes, jobs and may not have health insurance, McClellan stated that the White House is not opposed to Medicaid waivers. He said the administration is taking a number of steps to get people back on their feet and is trying to focus on moving ahead on the best and quickest way to get people the care on which they depend.