*EPF501 01/25/2002
Transcript: White House Briefing, January 25
(border security, Enron, Palestinian Authority/Arafat) (1730)

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Portland, Maine.

Following is the White House transcript:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Portland, Maine)

January 25, 2002

PRESS GAGGLE BY ARI FLEISCHER

Aboard Air Force One En route Portland, Maine

11:50 A.M. EST

MR. FLEISCHER: The President had his usual briefings -- intelligence briefings this morning. He convened a meeting of the NSC, then he did a little speech practice this morning, and -- I don't know if that speech practice was State of the Union and Alfalfa or if it was one or the other. But, anyway, he has the State of the Union, of course, Tuesday, practice --

QUESTION: Don't get them mixed up.

MR. FLEISCHER: Don't get them mixed up. (Laughter.) He will be funny Saturday night, I assure you.

Anyway, today, the President will take the tour of the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma, and then he will give remarks -- T-a-h-o-m-a, and that's in italics, it's a Coast Guard ship. And then he will give remarks on border security at the Southern Maine Technical College. Then he will go to Camp David this evening, where he will be joined by 20 Republican leaders of the House and Senate --

Q: Twenty?

MR. FLEISCHER: Twenty -- for a retreat tonight and tomorrow, to talk about how much work we can get done in the Congress this year, and what a busy, productive agenda the President is looking forward to.

Let me give you some info on today. The United States has 95,000 miles of shoreline. Every year, 7,500 foreign ships make 51,000 calls to U.S. ports. The budget the President is going to propose will give the United States the capacity to screen goods and people before they enter, inspect and ensure compliance with entry and import permits, share critical information among law enforcement agencies, establish agreements with neighbors and major trading partners to allow extensive pre-screening of low-risk traffic, and track the movement of cargo, and entry and exit of individuals, conveyances and vehicles through new technologies.

The President will also today announce a new initiative to strengthen the Coast Guard's mission to protect our ports and coastal areas. I won't go through a lot of that with you. You've got a lot of that on the fact sheets. The fact sheet is an excellent one today, I think. You've really got a lot of meat in there.

Let me give you some financial figures. The President will announce an increase in funding for border security from $8.6 billion to $10.7 billion in his upcoming budget. The President will announce all of this today. He will announce for Customs Service inspections a 36 percent increase in the budget from $1.7 billion to $2.3 billion. That will cover the hiring of approximately 800 new inspectors and agents as well as purchase of new technology to make it safer.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service's enforcement budget will go up 29 percent from $4.1 billion to $5.3 billion. That includes the hiring of additional agents, and a tracking system -- a new entry/exit tracking system to help monitor entry and exit to the country, so that tourists and people who are legal get in, criminals, terrorists and drugs do not.

The United States Coast Guard will receive an 11 percent increase in its budget for homeland security related missions for protecting ports and coastal areas, from $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion.

And finally, the Department of Agriculture, the President will announce today, will receive an increase of 30 percent in its budget for agriculture quarantine inspection programs, from $47 million to $61 million.

The President will give his -- he will take the tour of the Coast Guard ship and give remarks.

Let me give you the week ahead. I mentioned to you about Camp David.

Q: That's one night, one overnight for them --

MR. FLEISCHER: They'll leave tomorrow. It's tonight and tomorrow morning. Dinner meeting, breakfast meeting, lots of informal time. They'll watch Blackhawk Down tonight, that's the movie.

Q: What movie?

MR. FLEISCHER: Blackhawk Down.

Saturday, the President will return to the White House Saturday to attend the Alfalfa Club dinner here in Washington, D.C. The President is scheduled to be funny.

This week, the President will travel the East Coast to expand upon the priorities he'll lay out for the nation in the State of the Union address. Prior to that, on Monday, the President will participate in a photo opportunity with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. I can announce that one. Later that day, the President will meet with the Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority in the Oval Office.

Tuesday morning, the President will have breakfast with the bipartisan congressional leadership, and later that day he'll be joined by House and Senate Republican leadership to discuss the upcoming legislative agenda for the year. That evening, the President will, of course, give the State of the Union Address.

Q: Is that at 9:00 p.m.?

MR. FLEISCHER: 9:00 p.m.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the President will travel along the East Coast to expand upon some of the priorities that he will outline and announce in his State of the Union address.

Thursday, back in Washington, the President will meet with the Chancellor of Germany in the Oval Office, and on Friday the President will meet with the King of Jordan in the Oval Office.

Q: Ari, does Karl Rove consider part of his job to find work for Bush supporters?

MR. FLEISCHER: In reference to the story, that's not what Karl Rove did. If you're asking specifically about Ralph Reed.

Q: Yes, I am asking specifically --

MR. FLEISCHER: Karl Rove and many Republicans all agree that Ralph Reed is excellent at what he does, we're proud to have him in the party, and he comes highly recommended to anybody who asks.

Q: Did Mr. Rove actually try to place Ralph Reed at Enron, or was it just an actual reference?

MR. FLEISCHER: That's fairly common and common-sensical. Karl Rove gave Ralph Reed a good recommendation, as we all would, as we all do. He would do that with anybody who asked, including Enron.

Q: What about -- is the administration considering breaking ties with Arafat? And can you discuss this meeting this morning, tell us who was there and what that's about?

MR. FLEISCHER: We've repeatedly condemned the failure of Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority to crack down on terrorists and terrorist organizations. The United States is appalled at the involvement of senior Palestinian Authority officials in Karine-A smuggling operation, and we're outraged by the role played by Iran and the Hezbollah in that operation and in the support they gave to international terrorism and in their opposition to Middle East peace.

Chairman Arafat knows what he needs to do to crack down on terror and open the way for peace.

Q: Do you believe you were misled by Arafat in his denials of knowledge of that?

MR. FLEISCHER: Again, Chairman Arafat knows what he needs to do to crack down and to show that he's dedicated to peace.

Q: Are any steps being taken, Ari, talk of cutting off ties to Arafat and not talking to him for the time being?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, we're constantly assessing the situation, always have been, and we will continue to do so on an ongoing basis.

Q: No decisions at this meeting?

MR. FLEISCHER: We are constantly assessing the situation.

Q: Can you tell us about the meeting this morning, who was there?

MR. FLEISCHER: You know I don't discuss specifics of any NSC meetings.

Q: But was it separate from the President's NSC meeting, or is that where that --

MR. FLEISCHER: I just don't discuss NSC meetings -- NSC meetings always cover a wide variety of topics. They can be limited to the war, particularly earlier in the war, but NSC meetings cover any number of issues that are matters of national security.

Q: Did the President actually get a letter from Arafat seeking to explain this shipment, and did U.S. officials find it insulting?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President is often in written correspondence with people around the world, and it's our policy never to discuss any of those letters -- those are private correspondences between the President and others.

Q: Do U.S. relations with the Palestinian Authority remain unchanged this morning?

MR. FLEISCHER: You know, if we have anything to report to you, we will report it. But, again, we are always assessing the situation.

Q: Well, with all due respect, that's not an answer. Do relations remain the same?

MR. FLEISCHER: There's nothing to report.

Q: Ari, are you aware of any other Bush supporters that Mr. Rove or anyone else in the administration may have helped secure jobs at Enron?

MR. FLEISCHER: Again, it's not unusual and you should expect it that somebody like Ralph Reed is going to get a good recommendation from this administration for anybody who asks. But I can't -- the direct answer to your question is, I have no idea.

Q: Do you know who initiated Ralph Reed's position there? Was it Mr. Rove or did Ralph Reed go --

MR. FLEISCHER: Don't know.

Q: And did it have anything to do with the Bush campaign? Was it --

MR. FLEISCHER: No. It was something that I think everybody understands that happens on a regular basis when somebody is asked, is this person a qualified person, did he do a good job, and that person is Ralph Reed, the answer to whoever asks is, yes.

Q: So there were questions that this looked like the way to keep Ralph Reed on a payroll, helping the Bush campaign, and out of -- out of circulation for other campaigns?

MR. FLEISCHER: First of all, Ralph Reed has supported -- I was on the Elizabeth Dole campaign then. Ralph Reed was supporting Governor Bush. There's no question of keeping him in or out of circulation. He was a proud supporter of Governor Bush at the time, so that makes no sense.

Okay, we'll see everybody on the Coast Guard ship. I hope you all know, walk carefully on there.

END 12:00 P.M. EST

(end White House transcript)

(end transcript)

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