White House Gaggle

By Gregory Gorman
September 1, 2005

President’s Schedule

President Bush spoke to Petty Officer Josh Mitcheltree, a United States Coast Guard swimmer, this morning to offer his support and appreciation for the round-the-clock efforts of the search and rescue teams in the regions affected by Hurricane Katrina. Press Secretary Scott McClellan also said that this was an opportunity for the President to "hear directly from someone on the ground how things were going". The President then spoke to FEMA Director Mike Brown for an update on the coordinated response efforts in the affected areas of the Gulf Coast. The President also participated in an interview with Diane Sawyer and had his usual briefings. Following his interview, the President received a condolence call from Canadian Prime Minister Martin. Prime Minister Martin expressed Canada’s willingness to help and their offers to assist the hurricane victims. The White House has also heard from several other nations including Great Britain, Russian, France, Japan and Honduras expressing their condolences for the residents of the Gulf Coast. At 10 am, the President met with Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, General Myers and other members of his defense team. At noon, the President will have lunch with Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan followed by a briefing with his economic team where he will get a preliminary assessment of the economic impact of Hurricane Katrina. Finally, McClellan said that the President will welcome Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to the White House on October 3rd and Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov on October 17th.

Announcements on Hurricane Katrina

This afternoon, President Bush will meet with former Presidents Bush and Clinton in the Oval Office to discuss their participation in an effort to coordinate contributions for the victims of Hurricane Katrina similar to the one they led for the December 26, 2004 tsunami disaster. Presidents George H. W. Bush and Clinton will make announcements this afternoon following their meeting. Scott McClellan announced that the President will travel to the Gulf Coast region tomorrow at approximately 9 am saying that he wants to visit the region as soon as possible. The schedule is still being finalized but McClellan expects the President to visit several different locations both on the ground and in the air. McClellan also announced that President and Mrs. Bush will be making a private financial contribution to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief. McClellan did not state the amount being donated but said that it would be disclosed on the President’s financial statements at the appropriate time. McClellan stated that that the White House, "continues to encourage all Americans to make cash contributions to charitable organizations like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army who are providing relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina".

Price Gouging

McClellan reiterated the President’s zero tolerance policy for price gouging. McClellan said that the Department of Energy has a Web site where people can report price gouging and the administration will pursue any reports on price gouging and will take them very seriously. The President has spoken to the Attorney General and made it clear to him that price gouging on things like gasoline prices and insurance claims will not be tolerated.

Relief Mobilization

McClellan was asked if the President has been satisfied with the federal response effort to Hurricane Katrina. McClellan responded that there is a massive response underway and that since Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff has designated the Hurricane Katrina disaster as an Incident of National Significance, the government can now move forward with the National Response Plan with a full mobilization of federal agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security. McClellan said, "the President’s focus and the focus of the federal government is first and foremost saving lives and sustaining life". He said the President has two main areas of focus for relief efforts, short-term immediate needs and a long-term strategy for helping the large number of people who have been displaced by the disaster. In response to a question about some Democrats’ criticism on the slow pace of relief by the government, McClellan responded, "this is no time for politics".