Weekly Media Availability With House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

WEEKLY MEDIA AVAILABILITY WITH HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI (D-CA)

LOCATION: H-206, THE CAPITOL, WASHINGTON, D.C.

July 8, 2004 Thursday

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REP. PELOSI: Good morning. How are you? Thank you for being here this morning. Welcome back. I hope you had a glorious 4th of July weekend. I hope your team won-as long as they weren't playing the San Francisco Giants.

First, this morning I want to take a moment to salute the 1st Armored Division, which is leaving Iraq beginning this evening after serving 15 months on the front lines. We welcome the returning soldiers back. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded and we, of course, mourn those whose lives were lost. The 1st Armored Division lost-had 135 casualties, 135 deaths -- 16 percent of the total U.S. casualties in Iraq-and 1,100 of its soldiers have been wounded.

I had the privilege of meeting with some of them when I visited Iraq earlier this year. We all support-salute their courage, their patriotism, and the sacrifice they are willing to make.

And of course, this morning we were once again reminded, and we have almost a daily reminder, of the danger in Iraq and the nature of the sacrifice that our young men and women. 1st Armored Division, coming-starting to roll out tonight, into Germany. I think it is pretty exciting.

On the home front, over the 4th of July recess members had a longer time to visit with constituents. It's clear to us that Americans are feeling the middle-class squeeze of the failed Bush administration economic policies.

One area in particular; if you are a small business, you feel the middle-class squeeze. The president's budget and the Republican Commerce-Justice-State bill yesterday on the floor would have eliminated all funding for the Small Business Administration's largest small business loan program, the 7(a) program. In a rare victory, the Democrats, led by Representative Nydia Velazquez, and joined by the chairman of the Small Business Committee, Donald Manzullo, passed a resolution despite Republican opposition. This amendment will provide $79.1 million for the 7(a) loan program, the amount provided last year, to finance more than $13 billion in small loans. This initiative came out of our Small Business Summit that we had in June. It was one of our highest priorities: access to capital.

Now that I'm finished on that subject, I want to acknowledge the presence of Joyce and Jack Murtha. Jack, I was --

REP. MURTHA: And my grandchildren.

REP. PELOSI: Tell me-tell us their names. Tell us their names.

REP. MURTHA: Clayton, come on in here, please. Say hello to the next Speaker of the House

REP. PELOSI: How are you? Welcome. Good morning.

REP. MURTHA: The first Italian-American Speaker of the House. (Laughter.)

REP. PELOSI: (Laughs.)

REP. MURTHA: Clayton and Angela (sp).

REP. PELOSI: Welcome. Congratulations to Joyce and Jack and their beautiful family.

REP. MURTHA: Thank you.

REP. PELOSI: Jack, I was just acknowledging the roll out of-the return of the 1st Armored Division starting tonight.

REP. MURTHA: Outstanding.

REP. PELOSI: Isn't it great? Do you have anything to say about that?

REP. MURTHA: I'll tell you, I was over there when they were extended and there was a lot of consternation, no question about it. They were concerned. The armored division was concerned, and the general in charge was concerned about the families. So this is marvelous that they're going home. They were extended with very little notice. Much of their equipment was already on the way home. They sent some of the tanks home and had to bring them back. So we are pleased that they have finally been able to go home and visit their families.

REP. PELOSI: Okay. Thank you. I know that you visited them there.

REP. MURTHA: They should be complimented as one of the outstanding units beside the Marine Corps-outside the Marine Corps. (Laughter.)

REP. PELOSI: (Laughs.) Semper Fi. (Laughs.) Thank you so much for coming. I look forward to seeing the children later. Thank you.

So we were very pleased that the Commerce-Justice bill is still on the floor today, but that we had such a tremendous victory yesterday. We won by almost 2-to-1. It's clear. I mean, the administration talks about small business, and yet it takes the money out of the bill that was there last year for access to capital for small business. So we were very, very pleased with that success. It was a failure for the administration, and called their bluff on talking about small business but cutting off access to capital, which is the top priority for small business.

And then, of course, you know the news of the week. We're all absolutely delighted to have a ticket, Kerry-Edwards. Not as soon as I would have liked, but perfect timing because of the timing of our candidate for president. I think it's going to-they're going to talk to the country in a way that will inspire hope and optimism and that will be a winning message for success in November. I congratulate John Edwards and Senator Kerry for his excellent choice.

I received a call at 5:30 in the morning on Tuesday in San Francisco from Senator Kerry saying that in 45 minutes he would be making the announcement. And 45 minutes later, I got a call from John Edwards saying that he wanted to do all he can to help us win the House for the Democrats, as we work for a Democratic victory in the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Jul 08, 2004 16:31 ET .EOF

With that, I'd be pleased to take any questions you may have. Yes, ma'am.

Q Leader, there's a-Secretary Ridge is supposed to give a press conference this morning, and --

REP. PELOSI: Excuse me, I didn't hear.

Q Secretary Ridge is supposed to give a press conference this morning talking about the increased terrorist threat during the campaign season? And I wondered if you could address that issue, whether or not you feel that the-that there is enough security, enough preparations for a possible terrorist attack and if there's a political component to this announcement.

REP. PELOSI: A political component to the announcement? No, I-I certainly would hope not. Until we hear what-I was going to call him Congressman Ridge, our former colleague. Until we hear what Secretary Ridge has to say, I really can't comment on it. But I do know that security preparations for the conventions and other high- profile events that will be taking place domestically, and of course internationally in the Olympics, have surpassed, I think, precautions taken in the past. Is it enough? Is it ever enough? There are choices and the precautions, though, are what are important, and I'll be interested to hear what choices the secretary presents. You say it's going to be today?

Q Yes.

REP. PELOSI: I didn't know that. Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Q Senator Frist actually just attended the briefing by Director Mueller and said, I believe it is, that security at the conventions is beefed up and whatnot, and the concern these days has to do with other venues. Did you talk about that with the president on Tuesday night? Were you briefed on that? Or -- ?

REP. PELOSI: Well, of course, I will not be able to talk about anything that transpired in a meeting in the White House. But certainly the briefings that have taken place in the House and the Senate speak to the conventions.

Q Okay.

Q Could you give us a little highlight on what the platform will be on economics that you will unveil this week coming up?

REP. PELOSI: The platform goes to Florida this weekend. The Platform Committee will vote on the platform this weekend, so we are all anxiously awaiting the work of Rosa DeLauro, who is the chair of the Drafting Committee, and the excellent work from our standpoint in the House of Stephanie Tubbs Jones as one of the co-chairs of the full Platform Committee. The heavy emphasis will be on strength, domestic strength and international strength. Our national security will take at least 50 percent of the platform, the specifics of which I think we should honor the work of the Platform Committee and wait until they give us their final product on Saturday.

Q If I could follow up, it's not likely, though, to include various similar specific items-"We want a $2 increase in this credit," or-it'll be broader goals and principles, correct?

REP. PELOSI: Any questions regarding the content of the platform I think are best directed to Congresswoman Tubbs Jones or Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro at this point. But I do-my understanding is that the platform will be more thematic. It's thousands of-maybe 8,000 words shorter than the platform of 2000. So it'll be more general than specific.

But I respect the work of the Platform Committee as one who has chaired it in 1992. "Opportunity, community, responsibility"-you are all too young to remember that -- (laughter) -- but that was our platform. (Laughs.) And I think that we'll see on Saturday what they did. But I think shorter and more thematic.

Q The majority leader has said that he's going to move forward now with-regarding the issue of gay marriage, first with a bill by Hostettler that would strip federal courts of jurisdiction on this matter, and then move forward towards the proposedconstitutional amendment. The Senate is doing the same thing, taking up the constitutional amendment, I think starting tomorrow.

In both Houses, there's very-it's very unlikely that the numbers are there, particularly for the amendment. I'm wondering what you make of the timing of this and what you think the Democratic response will be.

REP. PELOSI: I would not like to question the motivation or the timing of the majority leader on this subject. I think it's self- evident. I don't know what that first tactic is-by Hostettler, did you say? That's the first I'm hearing of that, so I don't know what that is. I do know that they knew they were going to fail on their attempt to defile the Constitution with-by enshrining discrimination in it, so they had to take another tack.

You're telling me this is the tack that they're taking. I look forward to reading that, see what the ramifications are of it.

Q The way Mr. DeLay has described the legislation is as building momentum towards the vote on the constitutional amendment.

REP. PELOSI: You're asking me to question their motivation?

Q Well, I guess-let me put it this way. Given that now we're not that far away from the conventions, the Democratic ticket has just been named, we're talking about moving in both houses toward legislation that, by even the proponents' acknowledgment, seems doomed to fail. What sense does that make? Does that make sense, or is it a good thing to do to get House members and senators on the record?

REP. PELOSI: I think you could describe what you just described-that they would move forward with an amendment to the Constitution that they knew-that was doomed to fail-as red meat for their constituents, for the right wing of their constituency. They find it necessary because even their own constituents are catching on to their failed economic policy, to the lack of access to quality health care in our country, to the fact that their children are not getting the best possible education, that their activities in Iraq are not successful to the extent that they described and predicted they would be.

So they have to throw some red meat out there to keep their folks in line. And when they are weak on issues, which is frequently, they will come up with one of these mean-spirited defilements, even of our Constitution. When they want to throw red meat, nothing, not even the Constitution, which we take an oath to protect and defend, is sacred.

Q I have one more question. Polls show that Americans, by a fairly large majority, do not favor marriage between homosexuals. Do you think this will be a campaign issue or can become an issue that will play out not only in the presidential election but also in congressional elections?

REP. PELOSI: I think the campaign issues will be strength. I think they will be those issues that are exactly addressed by the Democratic platform. They will be about strength of our economy and the strength of our country, and the regard with which we are held internationally. They will try to change the subject, because they're weak on strength.

But nonetheless, our candidates on the national level, John Kerry and John Edwards, know why they are running for president and vice president of the United States. Again, their message will be positive, one of optimism and hope. It will be positive in terms of how we grow the economy to create jobs and let small businesses flourish; how we expand access to quality health care, which is the centerpiece of the Kerry campaign; how we get the best possible education for our children; how we protect the environment, so that it's safe and healthy for our children; and how we provide for the common defense in a way that maintains-that protects our troops and our reputation in the world; and that we do all of that in a fiscally sound way, to do it in a way that is unifying for our country and not engaged in what you're describing here: tactics of throwing wedge issues at the beginning of the campaign.

Campaigns are about the future. How are we going to make the next-the future better for the next generation? They're not about defiling the Constitution, as they want to do.

Any other questions?

Q This afternoon the House is going to vote on Bernie Sanders' amendment that-the Patriot Act that would bar the Justice Department from going into libraries and bookstores or wherever. You know the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has said the library there shouldn't or --

REP. PELOSI: Right. Right.

Q How are you going to vote? And why?

REP. PELOSI: I'll vote for Bernie Sanders' amendment on that, yes.

Q Why?

REP. PELOSI: Well, I think that while there were certain aspects of the Patriot Act that were necessary in recognition of changes in technology since previous laws had been written and heightened concern about the-about terrorism, that certainly there was an overreach there. And what was promised with the Patriot Act was intense oversight, so that the implementation of it could not be as-overly intrusive. I think that the library search is overly intrusive, and that's why I intend to vote for Bernie Sanders' amendment.

And by the way, you have seen very little oversight exercised by the Republicans in Congress. They have been seriously delinquent in exercising oversight over the Patriot Act.

Q Do you think that can pass? There are some Republicans who have civil liberty concerns about that.

REP. PELOSI: Absolutely. Quite frankly, the-some of the changes and improvements we were able to make in the Patriot Act when it was originally passed were due to the cooperation of some of our more conservative members who are concerned about the Fourth Amendment in particular, the Constitution in general. So it was quite a coalition of --

Q (Off mike.)

REP. PELOSI: -- (chuckling) -- from right to left.

Q On this particular issue, given the timing and what's going on, how do you think this particular issue is going to play out? Do you think this can pass, the Sanders amendment?

REP. PELOSI: Well, I don't know. You'll just have to see on the floor today. But I do know that it hits home. Some of these strike to the personal lives of everyday Americans in a way that really is unnecessary.

We certainly want our law enforcement and our national security people to have every tool at their disposal to fight the war on terrorism. One great tool in our arsenal is our Constitution; and as we protect and defend the American people, we must remember our oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and have the proper balance between liberty and security.

Q It seems like a lot of your victories are on appropriations bills-you have the Manzullo amendment, you might get the Sanders amendment.

REP. PELOSI: (Inaudible.)

Q (Off mike) -- that's the next question. Why? And is it leadership that's helping this, or is it the merits of the argument on these particular provisions that are coming up one by one?

REP. PELOSI: When you say leadership --

Q Is it-I mean, are you leading the battle in winning these things?

REP. PELOSI: No, no. I didn't know if you meant they were allowing us to do it on the other side.

No, the appropriations bill is one of the only places that we have opportunity to have limitation amendments, when the rule allow. They still today-the bill that will come up on legis branch today is a closed rule. We will vote against that rule because it limits our opportunities to have amendments even on an appropriations bill, which standard fare would be normally to have open rules.

But because of the nature of those bills-and sometimes it's not easy, we have to do our parliamentary work. It takes-it's-you have to be quite resourceful in order to be able to come up with something that is germane, that is applicable to an appropriations bill. But, nonetheless, there are more opportunities for us there, that's why we have more successes there. That's why we were able to embarrass the administration yesterday on their cutting out appropriations for small business loans and 7(a) program.

Any other questions? No? Yes? Well, I look forward to seeing you next week, if not on the campaign trail. And again, add my congratulations to those of so many others to John Kerry and John Edwards. I know that they are going to be a tremendous asset to our attempts to win the House for the Democrats, which we fully intend to do. Thank you so much.

Bye-bye.

Q Thank you.

LOAD-DATE: July 10, 2004