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 India Globe's Goyal on Obama & Terrorism - White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto 11/26/08 — Wednesday, November 26, 2008 —  MR. FRATTO: Yes, Goyal. Q Two questions, please. One, President-Elect Obama had been already talking during his campaign as far as Afghanistan and terrorism is concerned and bringing Osama bin Laden and the top of his advisors back to justice. Now he's thinking of keeping Secretary of Defense Gates as his next Defense Secretary. Does President have any problem, or is he supporting this move by President-Elect Obama? MR. FRATTO: That's not something I can comment on, Goyal. I'll just tell you we're very proud of our Secretary of Defense. And your second question? Defense Secretary Robert Gates | Goyal | President-Elect Obama | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Goyal, President-Elect Obama, Press Briefing, Tony Fratto, War on Terror, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:41 PM  NSA and Tony Blair - Air Force One Press Gaggle by Dana Perino 11/25/08 — Tuesday, November 25, 2008 —  Q A former NSA linguist is saying that the U.S. spied on Tony Blair. Do you have anything on that? MS. PERINO: I don't have anything on that. No, I would not comment. And I saw reports about that. President Bush doesn't recall anything of that sort. So that's all I'd have to say on it. Q You asked him about it, and he doesn't recall anything of that sort -- MS. PERINO: This story has been out there for a while. It's been circulating around. I don't know why all of a sudden everybody is writing about it, because -- maybe they read it on a blog or something. I don't know. Air Force One | Dana Perino | NSA | President Bush | Press Gaggle | Tony Blair | White House Press Corps | Wiretapping Labels: Air Force One, Dana Perino, NSA, President Bush, Press Gaggle, Tony Blair, White House Press Corps, Wiretapping
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:01 PM Banks vs. Automakers - White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto 11/24/08 — Monday, November 24, 2008 —  MR. FRATTO: Yes, Mark.Q Tony, in Lima over the weekend, President Bush spoke at length about the importance of free markets. Why don't all these bailouts undermine free markets by keeping troubled, distressed companies from failing? MR. FRATTO: Well, not at all. I mean, what these efforts are doing are to prevent the financial system from failing. It's never been about any one particular company. We let thousands of companies fail in this economy every year. It's a -- actually, an important part of a healthy company is to have companies competing against each other, and some of them fail, and the winners win, and that's good. But when you have systemically large companies that can bring down not just the entire U.S. financial system but the global financial system, and have a devastating effect on our broader economy, the government has to step in. And so we have an obligation to preserve that very important part of our economy, and that supports the free market system. Our firms can't get out there and do trade if they don't have trade financing. Firms can't get out there and distribute funds to their -- to companies who distribute products here and around the world if they don't have overnight credit financing. So that part of our economy is critical. We need to keep it in place; we need it to be strong; we need it to fill all of the holes in our economy that need financing in order to be able to do their business in a free and open economy. Q What guarantees do you have that they will do that, in terms of lending? MR. FRATTO: That they will lend? That's the business they're in, and the banks have no -- Q That may be, but they're not doing it. MR. FRATTO: Well, look, I think we're pretty confident in the guidance that we've given to banks to get out there and lend. They actually have been lending. They've had to shore up their balance sheets to make sure that they're in a good position. But banks only make money one way, and that's to be out there lending and making loans. Now, it's a very difficult economy we're in right now, so there's a question of the demand side of people requesting loans from banks also and whether there are good bets out there. We want them to make good business decisions. But banks are only in the business of lending, so they can't be profitable companies going forward unless they are looking for opportunities to lend. Q Why don't we help the automakers? MR. FRATTO: We are helping the automakers -- or at least we have a plan to help the automakers. We had a bipartisan agreement on the floor of Congress -- well, actually, it never made it to the floor because the Democratic leadership decided not to bring it to the floor. But we had a bipartisan agreement that we believe would get bipartisan support. It was for $25 billion in the loan program that would have freed up that money in a way that would support the automakers in their efforts -- to help to support them as they become viable firms, because these are important parts of our manufacturing base. We want to see the automakers succeed. There seems to be some misconception out there that we don't want to help the automakers. We do want to help the automakers. We had a bipartisan agreement to do just that, and we believe that's where those funds should come from. And by the way, the news overnight where -- this was a relatively unexpected effort by Treasury and the Fed. If you had said two weeks ago that they were going to have to take this action for Citibank, I think that would have seemed unlikely. This is a very dynamic situation we're dealing with, and the financial system is still fragile. But that also speaks to the need to preserve the funds in the TARP for their intended purpose. We don't need to be taking funds out of the TARP program for other purposes -- and with respect to the automakers, especially when we have a $25 billion loan program that was specifically set up for their use. Q Well, what's the hang-up? Is it because the money is coming out of the -- MR. FRATTO: That's a question for Congress, Helen. The money is there; we tried to work on both sides of the aisle to design it in a way that the automakers could access it and to help them move forward and be viable. So I would put that question to the Democratic leadership of the Congress. Automobile Industry | Economy | Press Briefing | TARP | Tony Fratto | White House Press Corps Labels: Automobile Industry, Economy, Press Briefing, TARP, Tony Fratto, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:33 PM Mindless Opposition of Reid & Pelosi - Air Force One Press Gaggle by Dana Perino 11/21/08 — Friday, November 21, 2008 —  Q Dana, are you saying Congress should have stayed in session and acted to authorize the 136 loans right now, and not waited a couple of weeks?MS. PERINO: Well, it seems to me that it's sort of senseless. You had a bipartisan path forward to help the automakers, as long as they were willing to show viability through the 136 program, that would not relax environmental standards. And nothing would bar the Congress from putting more money towards helping companies retool their plants if they wanted to in the future. So I would -- I just think that it was mindless opposition to anything that we would propose, and they cut off their nose to spite their face. So now we'll have to wait and see if they even come back on December 8th. But one thing that is very curious is how in the world are 535 members of Congress going to determine viability of a company? It's mind-boggling. They can't even get together to pass a Mother's Day resolution. So we are a little bit perplexed as to what they plan to do when they get back on the 8th and how they plan to do it. We agree that the viability portion of the language is absolutely critical. But we want these automakers to succeed. We don't want to see the huge numbers of unemployment that would result from a possible insolvency. And these companies have to be willing to make hard decisions to change for the long run. Q And those who are engaged in mindless opposition would be Reid, Pelosi, those people? MS. PERINO: Well, I think it's obvious. I don't have to name them -- they know who they are; you know who they are. They're the people who are opposing our plan, and the people who decided to go home without actually getting anything done. I mean, this is like do-nothing Congress part two, same song as they sang last time. And as I said, we will do what we can to try to put forward innovative policies like we had with this 136 program. It had a bipartisan path to succeed. And they wouldn't even allow for a vote. What kind of democracy is that? So we're a little bit perplexed. But we'll see what the companies come up with, and if they can meet the Democrats' so-called test. Okay. Automobile Industry | Congress | Dana Perino | Democracy | Harry Reid | Nancy Pelosi | Press Gaggle | White House Press Corps Labels: Air Force One, Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Democracy, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Press Gaggle, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:47 PM Harry Reid: An American Prorogation - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/20/08 — Thursday, November 20, 2008 —  Q But my question is, if Congress does not act this week, is the administration just going to watch GM sink? MS. PERINO: If the Congress doesn't act this week and one of the companies is in imminent danger of insolvency, we would suspect that they would want to come back and finish the work that they didn't get done this week. Q You would anticipate that Congress would come back? MS. PERINO: We would -- I can't imagine a scenario where they wouldn't come back, unless the answer is that they just don't care. And if that's the case, then the American people ought to know that and hear it from them. Q What are the chances that something is going to get done this week? MS. PERINO: Well, we always remain hopeful. We believe the path that we've set forward could get bipartisan support if it was allowed to come for a vote. And so we would ask them to just think about taking a step back from partisan politics and throwing up obstacles for the sake of throwing up obstacles, and consider our proposal, and the one that Senators Bond and Voinovich have put forward, because we do think that they would be able to get help for the automakers in a way that would help them get through this rough patch, but also help them restructure, make the hard decisions necessary to restructure. I think the key point is that the American taxpayer should only be asked to help these companies if they're willing to make the hard decisions necessary to be viable in the long run. Q But why do you remain hopeful? I mean, are you hearing anything in the -- MS. PERINO: Well, they haven't left town yet. The gavel hasn't come down. And presumably, given the rhetoric that they've used over the past week, the Democrats believe that the automakers need help. Well, if that's the case, then they should allow us to move forward to have a vote on something that we think could get passed. The truth is Senator Reid's idea could not get enough votes in the Senate to get through the process. So the alternative would be to, well, could we think of another way, a bipartisan way where we could get the automakers help? Instead, he just wants to pull the plug and leave town. And we don't think that that is a good way to help the auto industry, and we certainly don't think it's a good signal for the bipartisanship that everyone pledged over the past year. Automobile Industry | Congress | Dana Perino | Democrats | Harry Reid | Legislation | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Democrats, Harry Reid, Legislation, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:26 PM Al Qaeda's Latest Tape Rant - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/19/08 — Wednesday, November 19, 2008 —  Q Dana, on the tape, what is the White House saying about the tape from al Qaeda's number two? And also, does this raise the question again to the government officials here and those who are trying to work on this bin Laden case that he could, indeed, be dead? Does that raise that question that he did not do this tape? MS. PERINO: I'd have to refer you to the intelligence community for that. I don't believe that we have any intelligence that suggests that he is not living. But let me address the tape. What we have here is more despicable and pathetic comments by al Qaeda terrorists. And in America, we are going to have a smooth transition from one administration to the next, and that will be a period of change in our country. What won't change is our commitment as a country to fighting terrorism. And I think that these comments just remind everybody of the kind of people that we're dealing with. Q A follow-up. Does this make it clear that it's not necessarily about race, it's about the presidency, what al Qaeda is attacking? I mean, granted, they've put a lot of racial statements in the statement, but it's mostly about the power structure, what America represents, not -- MS. PERINO: I think that the comments that al Qaeda makes are totally irrational. They attack everything and anything that is American. And so they just look for targets of opportunity, both verbally and physically, and that's why we have to stop them. Al Qaeda | Dana Perino | President-Elect Obama | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Al Qaeda, Dana Perino, President-Elect Obama, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:37 PM It's a TARP! - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/18/08 — Tuesday, November 18, 2008 —  Q Congressman Hoyer says he is hopeful that the Democrats can reach a compromise with the White House on aid to automakers. Does the White House believe that such a compromise can be achieved this week, or are you beginning to see this as something that's going to have to be left for -- to be worked out with the Obama administration? MS. PERINO: Well, of course we remain hopeful that we can find a bipartisan solution. We think that we already have a bipartisan solution, because we have legislation that's already on the books, where money has already been appropriated to help automakers through the DOE loan program, 136 loan program. We've already put forward regulations that would guide how that would work. What we're simply saying is that maybe we can work together to amend that process so that companies that can prove viability could take advantage and have that money sooner if they need it during this rough patch. The House and Senate are in today, but they're having hearings. I think tomorrow you'll probably see a little bit more action once they're able to bring something to the floor. We still don't know exactly what they would bring to the floor. But we think that we have a solution here that is very logical and very reasonable. Perhaps it's so logical and so reasonable that people really just can't get their arms around it, because it's Washington, D.C. But we think that we have a path forward. And we'll let you know as we continue to work with members of Congress whether or not we can forge an agreement. We hope to do so this week. Q When you say "amended," do you mean amended so that it is not required to be used for fuel efficiency? MS. PERINO: Right, that those funds would be freed up and that they could use those funds for other things. That does not mean that we are relaxing any standards when it comes to fuel efficiency. President Bush proposed the changes that we are starting to implement now; Congress finally passed them. And we have a chance now to really improve the fuel efficiency of these vehicles. What we're saying is that the Congress already passed $25 billion for the auto industry so that they could retool their factories and meet those standards. They're still going to have to meet those standards, but if they need that money sooner and need it for other purposes, we're saying simply amend that bill and allow that money to be used for other things. And if in the future they decide -- the next administration and the Congress decides to add additional funds to help the automakers to meet those standards, that will be up to them. We just don't think that we should provide the $25 billion that was already on the table, plus an additional $25 billion, unless companies can show us that they have a long-term path for viability. Q So, Dana, is the primary sticking point, then, just the source of the money? If it comes from TARP, you don't like it; but if it comes from the Department of Energy, you do like it? I mean, does the White House completely agree that automakers do need and deserve this money? MS. PERINO: We want the automakers to succeed. There is a pot of money that exists, it's there for the taking, it's on the table. And we think that a simple amendment to the law that has already been passed to allow them to be able to use these funds is the best way for us to be able to help the automakers right now. And so we're going to try and help them do that. We don't think that these funds should be taken from the TARP. That was never the intent of Congress. That money is specifically for the financial industry, to help prevent collapse in our financial system. And that's what Secretary Paulson and Ben Bernanke are talking about this morning on Capitol Hill. Q So that's the only difference is that you don't like one source and they like a different source? I mean, I don't really see -- it seems like that is very close to an agreement. MS. PERINO: It's a significant difference. Well, it's a significant difference when you're talking about which pot of money to use, because we want the money that has already been appropriated, that we have rules that govern how it would be used. We also went through the process of rushing through, but doing it in a proper way, the rules of the road to prove viability that's defined in our legislation. What the Democrats put forward yesterday is a proposal that fails to require automakers to prove viability. We don't think that taxpayers should be asked to throw money at a company that can't prove that it has a long-term path for success. That's a key difference between us and them. Bret. Q Isn't it true that they want both? They don't one or the other, they want both. MS. PERINO: Right, they want the money that's already been appropriated and they want an additional $25 billion, which we think is unnecessary and unreasonable at this point. Automobile Industry | Congress | Dana Perino | Legislation | Press Briefing | TARP | White House Press Corps Labels: Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Legislation, Press Briefing, TARP, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:39 PM TARP Cover for the Auto Industry - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/17/08 — Monday, November 17, 2008 —  Q You've repeated over the last 10 days your opposition to funding anything for the auto industry out of the TARP program. Are you opposed to Congress amending that so that monies in that program could go to the auto industry? MS. PERINO: I don't think we think it would be necessary to do so when we already have a program with monies, $25 billion, appropriated specifically for the auto industry. The TARP funding is there for financial institutions. It was -- Congress never intended for individual industries to be able to come forward to -- Q And what if they change their mind? MS. PERINO: Well, I think that what they should be able to do is -- look, there's not an appetite in Congress, or in the administration, to open up the TARP funding for individual industries, because once you start down that road, it's a slippery slope to other industries that might say that they need help. But we do have an entire pot of money, $25 billion, that the auto -- that is specifically for the automakers. And we also know that opening up the TARP will not get through the Senate. Therefore, to avoid partisan gridlock, what we are recommending is to work hand in hand on a program that would simply amend the 136 program and help companies that can show long-term viability and a willingness to restructure. Q Would you guys veto? MS. PERINO: I think it's too early to say since we haven't even seen their legislation. It's too early to say. Q Dana, on that viability point, regardless of where the money comes from, whether it's TARP or the Department of Energy, it's still taxpayer money. Is that a good investment? Are the automakers a good investment? MS. PERINO: Well, I think that's another thing to remember, which is that the TARP program was specifically designed to help taxpayers get a return on their investment. This is monies that we are investing into companies. We are providing capital. And it has to be paid back. There is no direct subsidy that we are suggesting in the TARP. The Treasury Department has been making decisions based on what they think will at least make the taxpayers whole, if not help us get a return on that investment. When we're talking about the auto industry, and while we haven't seen the Democrats' proposal yet, it doesn't seem that would be the case, that the taxpayers would actually be paid back. But when we're talking about viability, what we mean is that a company needs to be able to show that they have long-term plans, so that they will be on -- have sound financing, and not have a vicious cycle of getting back into this situation again. One of the reasons that we agreed to go forward with the 136 program was to allow the companies to have access to a stream of funds to help them retool their factories so that they could build more fuel-efficient cars, which is what consumers of today are looking for. But in addition to that, the automakers have over time made some decisions based on their needs for their employees, and some of those decisions might have to be reworked, going forward. So they're going to have to be able to show how they can survive. If you look at their ability to compete worldwide -- we think that our companies can compete, but they're not going to be able to do so unless they make some of these really tough decisions. Q So are you saying they should get rid of pensions or health care provisions? MS. PERINO: It's going to be up to the companies to decide how best to -- how they can best compete in the world and show viability. We're not going to get into dictating that. Q But are you willing to let one or all of these three big automakers go under? MS. PERINO: Our position is that we want these companies to succeed. We have figured out a way to provide them funds so that they are able to do that. And we think that there is a bipartisan path that we could get this done very quickly this week and avoid that. Q But at the same time that you say that, you also are saying that they don't measure up to the viability standard, which -- MS. PERINO: But they might, and they might -- and if they can show that they can have a long-term -- that they have a long-term plan so that they are viable, then that would be taken into consideration. Q And so what is the next move for the administration to, you know, close the gap between you guys and the Democrats? MS. PERINO: Well, we're waiting for them to get back in town. We're waiting -- we haven't even seen their proposal. They've talked sort of around a proposal this week, but until we see it, it's really hard to react to it. And then we'll continue to work with our Republican colleagues as well to see if we can forge an agreement and get something done early this week. Automobile Industry | Congress | Dana Perino | Economy | Press Briefing | TARP | White House Press Corps Labels: Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Economy, Press Briefing, TARP, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:55 PM Oh, Les! - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/14/08 — Friday, November 14, 2008 —  MS. PERINO: Les. Q Thank you Dana. Two questions. A commission appointed by the governor of Maryland has just recommended, by a vote of 13-7, that capital punishment be abolished in Maryland. My question: Since the President is a devout follower of world history's best-known victim of the death penalty, could you explain how he can support the punishment of killings in cold blood by doing just that in executions? MS. PERINO: I think the President's position on death penalty is well known. I'm going to move on. Go ahead, Sam. I'm going to move on. Q Wait a minute. MS. PERINO: Les, no. Sam, go ahead. Q I said two questions. MS. PERINO: Sam, please go ahead. Capital Punishement | Dana Perino | Les | President Bush | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Capital Punishment, Dana Perino, Les, President Bush, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:29 PM Helen has a question - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/12/08 — Wednesday, November 12, 2008 —  Q I think Helen had a question. MS. PERINO: Helen has a question. Q Yes, I do. You say the President is not at fault for the auto industry problem. Do you think he's responsible for a solution? MS. PERINO: Well, I think that he -- Q And also, is there a quid pro quo on the Colombia trade agreement? MS. PERINO: There is absolutely no quid pro quo for that. And I was able to clarify that yesterday, and I was pleased that the President-elect's team clarified that as well. But I think that the President of the United States believes that companies are responsible for finding solutions. However, this is an industry, as I've said before, that's very important to the American people. And there are a lot of regulations that the government has tried to place on these companies over the years. And so Congress and the administration and the companies have an obligation to put their best minds towards trying to find out -- figure out what we can do to the greatest extent possible to try to keep these companies viable. And if we can do that, we certainly will. Q Is he aware that Michigan has 9 percent unemployment? MS. PERINO: Very well aware of it. And he's been very concerned about it. It's one of the reasons that he agreed to the UI extension from -- unemployment insurance extension that we provided in August. And we'll see what the Congress puts forward on that if they come back for a lame duck. Q Is he aware that Detroit won World War II by retooling in a matter of days to a wartime condition? MS. PERINO: He knows how important Detroit is, how -- its history, the industry, and how many people it supports, not just in Detroit, but all across our country, and the people all around the world who work for those corporations. He's very mindful of it. Automobile Industry | Dana Perino | Economy | Helen | President Bush | President-Elect Obama | Press Briefing | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Automobile Industry, Dana Perino, Economy, Helen, President Bush, President-Elect Obama, Press Briefing, Unemployment, White House Press Secretary
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:56 PM Obama Leaks About Bush White House Meeting - Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Press Gaggle by Dana Perino 11/11/08 — Tuesday, November 11, 2008 —  Q Dana, so just to make that even clearer, is it wrong to say that the President told President-elect Obama that he would consider loans to automakers if Congress passed the free trade agreement or took up the free trade agreement? MS. PERINO: As I said, there was no linkage between -- Q So this was an incorrect report? MS. PERINO: Well, look, there's two anonymous aides -- or one anonymous aide who is apparently telling this story. I know from some reporters who told me that they were encouraged by others on the Obama team not to write that story because it was inaccurate. So, look, I'll let unidentified aides defend themselves, if you guys can find them. But I can tell you here, on the record, not afraid to say it, the President does support free trade; that's no secret. Everyone knows the President has talked about that a lot. He even spent time in his State of the Union address talking about the concerns he has about protectionism and isolationism, which could lead to a further weakening of our economy. That's what he's trying to work against. And when he has the leaders here this weekend, he's going to talk a lot about that. Dana Perino | Leaks | President Bush | President-Elect Obama | Press Gaggle | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Leaks, President Bush, President-Elect Obama, Press Gaggle, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:05 PM Obama Campaign Rhetoric on Bush - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/10/08  Q You know, you talked about this a little bit ago, about the differences in policy, obviously, that these two men have. There was a lot of heated rhetoric on the campaign trail. Not to belabor the point, but how does that affect the dynamic when -- you know, the President obviously understands, I know, he's a politician, he understands full well what it's like on the campaign trail, but could you just elaborate a little bit on how the heated rhetoric -- MS. PERINO: It's always amazed me how President Bush is able to let heated rhetoric like that just slide off his back and move forward and do what he thinks is right for the country. Obviously right now the most important thing we can do is ensure a smooth transition to Barack Obama and his team, and that's what he's committed to doing. He just lets those things go and will be focused on helping the next team have what they need. I think it's probably something that's hard for all of us to understand, but President Bush has been involved in politics since the mid-'60s, when he watched his father run for Congress. And then their whole political life has been about a rough and tumble campaign. This President was not involved in the campaign, we studiously stayed out of it, even when it was very hard for us sometimes to let attacks go unanswered. But we did that because he thought it was the right thing to do for the Republican Party. Now in the next few weeks I think you'll be able to see us revisit some of those issues and put a marker down for history of what this President stood for and why he made the decisions that he did. Dana Perino | Political Campaigns | President Bush | President-Elect Obama | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Political Campaigns, President Bush, President-Elect Obama, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 12:53 AM
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