English subtitles for clip: File:12-22-09- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Gibbs:
Hello, guys. Good morning. I thought -- last

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week we did a sort of happy hour briefing
-- today we'd do sort of a brunch briefing.

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Welcome to the last press briefing of the
year. I know many of you will be disappointed.

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The Press:
Awww --

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Mr. Gibbs:
I know, the collective Christmas groans. Lester,

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you'll have to save all those insightful questions
for next year. Today, my friend, is not Christmas.

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(laughter)

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The Press:
I'm hoping for Christmas spirit.

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Mr. Gibbs:
If you can't feel it from here, Lester, just

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come a couple rows closer. Go ahead.

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The Press:
A few quick things. First on health care.

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The President said this morning that his vacation
plans are going to be contingent on the Senate

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vote. Does that mean he'd stay in
Washington through Christmas Eve?

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Mr. Gibbs:
They are going to make a decision later this

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evening about when the President will leave.
As soon as we know the outcome of that decision,

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we will let you guys know. But I don't --
nothing has been made -- no decisions have

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been made at this point.

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The Press:
And then, second, on Iran, Ahmadinejad said

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this morning that the U.S. can set all the
deadlines it wants, it doesn't matter to them.

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Is that the same message that the U.S. is
getting from its negotiators? And if that

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is the case --

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Mr. Gibbs:
From its negotiators?

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The Press:
With Iran on the nuclear deal.

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Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I think that the international community

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is united in this. This is not something that
the President has said. This is not something

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-- or just that the President has said. This
is something that the members of the P5-plus-1

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have said. That's why we are at the point
where we are now with the international community,

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waiting to see, and have been waiting to see
for months, whether Iran will live up to its

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responsibilities. Mr. Ahmadinejad may not
recognize, for whatever reason, the deadline

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that looms, but that is a very real deadline
for the international community. And I think

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all of those involved in the P5-plus-1 would
encourage Iran to take that deadline as seriously

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as it's being taken by us to live up to their
responsibilities. It is in his control what

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Iran decides to do. The offer that was put
forward by the P5-plus-1 and by the IAEA that

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-- I think clarified for the world what Iran's
intentions were. Now they have to live up

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to those responsibilities, and if they fail
to do so, the international community will

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act accordingly. Yes, sir.

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The Press:
OPEC met today and decided to hold their output

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targets unchanged. So does the White House
have any reaction to that? And also, there

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is kind of a strong message coming out of
OPEC that they are comfortable with oil prices

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in a range between $70 and $80 a barrel.
How does the White House feel about that?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I don't have any guidance on OPEC, but we'll

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try to get some from Energy
and from NSC. Yes, sir.

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The Press:
Once the Senate passes health care and the

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conference starts next month, how does the
President see his role? Is he just going to

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be a bystander and sort of a cheerleader,
or is he going to be up to his elbows in it?

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How is that going to work?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, I think the role that -- well,

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let me say one thing first. I am not going
to get into, from here now, getting into what

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that conference, what those negotiations may
look like. Obviously, we are hopeful that

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the bill will pass the Senate prior to the
Senate leaving for Christmas, whatever day

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that -- whatever day they may decide that
to be. I think the bill has, as you heard

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the President yesterday say, has a number
of overwhelmingly good benefits for the American

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people. The President and his team

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will continue to play the role that they have
throughout this process, John, and that is

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working with leaders in the House and the
Senate, discussing with them policy options.

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I think the role that he and his team have
played up to this point has gotten us to the

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point where -- in all honesty, health care
is not a matter of -- health care reform is

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not a matter of if; health care reform now
is a matter of when. And I think the President

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is enormously encouraged by that.

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The Press:
Well, as you know, he's been criticized for

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not being more active by some people the past
year and that he gave Congress too -- it's

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had too much --

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Mr. Gibbs:
He's been criticized for being too active

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and -- the one thing the President has resolved
in the New Year is not to let any of the criticism
bother him.

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The Press:
But when this goes to conference, he is going

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to be involved about as much as he has been
in the past -- is that what you're saying?

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Mr. Gibbs:
John, we would not be at the point where we

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are today if it weren't for the President's
everyday involvement in this. I know there

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have been reports to the contrary. I think
the President believes that we've gotten health

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care reform right up to the point where, as
I said a minute ago, it's not a matter of

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if; it's a matter of when. Yes, sir.

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The Press:
On Iran again, I'm wondering if now that Iran

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has sort of made its intentions clear that
it doesn't plan to apparently abide by this

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December 31st deadline, has the White House
then started making plans for the next phase,

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realizing that --

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Mr. Gibbs:
We began making those plans weeks ago, Dan,

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as you heard the President talk
about on his trip to Asia.

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The Press:
And so it's clear to the White House now that

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Iran is not going to back down?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, that's an Iranian decision. That's not

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a decision that we and the P5-plus-1 will
make. The decision for them to live up to

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their responsibilities is their decision.
We have offered them a different path. If

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they decide not to take it, then the American
-- our delegation with the P5-plus-1 will

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move accordingly. Those preparations have
begun. Discussions have been had with leaders

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about those next steps at the U.N., as you
know, in September in meetings with the President

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and the Chinese on his recent trip. So we've
begun to take those steps if China is unwilling

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to take -- I'm sorry -- if Iran is unwilling
to pursue its responsibilities.

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The Press:
As the President is winding down this first

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year in office, as he looks back over this
year, is he at the point now where he can

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say, this is kind of what I expected, in terms
of the fight for health care, for economic

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recovery? Is it about what he expected,
or much more difficult than he expected?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Expected how? In terms of getting
legislation through Congress?

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The Press:
Getting what he wanted, the fight to get what

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he wanted -- is it about what he
expected, or much more difficult?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I think that the President was

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never under any illusion that anything was
going to be easy. We're talking about fundamental

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health care reform. We're talking about fundamental
change that will help, in terms of health

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care reform, millions have access to affordable
health care; millions that have that access

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see their costs reduced. We know that this
is a good thing for our fiscal picture. We

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know that whether you have insurance or you
don't have insurance, important reforms about

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the way insurance companies treat patients
are in this bill. The Senate bill has some

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very strong provisions about -- that prevent
insurance companies from padding their own

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pockets and medical loss ratio. I don't think
the President was under any illusion that

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anything was going to be easy. When he came
into office on the 20th of January, we were

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looking at an economic picture that I think
is fair to say had not been seen by a President

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likely since President Roosevelt. And if you
go back to that month -- we had 741,000 jobs

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lost. The first quarter of 2009 saw a GDP
reduction of more than 6 percent, an economic

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loss that had not been seen in almost three
decades. The President was not under any illusions,

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again, that any of this stuff would be easy.
But I think he has focused domestically and

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in foreign policy on the ideas that he thinks
will make this country safer, more secure,

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and get our economy back on a road to recovery.

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The Press:
Just one quick thing. Any reaction to the

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death of Ann Nixon Cooper, the 107-year-old
woman who the President mentioned in his --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Let me talk to the President
and I'll get something.

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The Press:
On health care, on the contentious issue of

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abortion language, has the White House been
talking with Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan?

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And secondly, how confident is the President
that some sort of compromise in the conference

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can be worked out that will satisfy all parties?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I will check with Legislative Affairs as to

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whether we've had any conversations -- I don't
believe the President has talked to Congressman

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Stupak in the last few days. I don't know
if staff have had conversations with him or

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not. I don't want to get into, again, where
some of these issues may -- how some of these

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issues may be hammered out in a conference.
I think it's better to let the Senate work

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their will and get us to a point where we
would have those negotiations. But again,

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I think the President is quite confident that
we are going to be able to figure out how

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to make health care reform a reality. Again,
I don't think this is a matter of if, I think

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this is now a matter of when. And
the President looks forward to that.

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The Press:
Robert, on the -- I want to get the President's

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take on some of the language that's been used
in the last several days regarding the health

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care reform bill. I don't know if you've heard
that the chairman of the Republican National

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Committee twice yesterday said that the Democrats
are "flipping the bird" at the American people.

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Mr. Gibbs:
How much did that interview cost -- (laughter)

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The Press:
Oooh --

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Mr. Gibbs:
That wasn't directed at Norah. That was

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just simply directed at the
RNC. Go ahead, I'm sorry.

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The Press:
Is the language inappropriate?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I think if you look back -- just to give everybody

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some context as to why he came up with whatever
verbiage he came up with -- this was I think

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predicated on the fact that he had in his
mind deduced that the White House had pressured

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the Congressional Budget Office into coming
up with statistics that were good for the

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bill. I don't know how many questions I've
been asked about CBO numbers in the past nine

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months. I think it's -- the notion that somehow
this White House is in cahoots with the Congressional

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Budget Office is delusional, to put it mildly.
I would suggest this for the RNC and for anybody

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that's in the Republican Party: There are
millions of people that don't have health

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care this Christmas. There are millions of
people that are watching their health care

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rates skyrocket. And instead of giving chippy
interviews, it might be good to actually be

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part of negotiations and a solution to get
health care reform -- to make health care

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reform a reality for the American people.
I think that's what they want to see from

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their two political parties in Washington.

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The Press:
And then can I just follow up on John's questions

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about the President's involvement? Because
Senator Feingold said that the lack of support

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from the administration made keeping the public
option in the bill an uphill struggle. And

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I asked Chairman Dean about this yesterday,
whether it was the administration's fault

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that the public option was not in there, and
he said simply, "yes." There are some Democrats

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who believe that the President
did not push hard enough.

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Mr. Gibbs:
I think all those are certainly entitled to

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their opinions. Again, we would not be at
this point in health care reform were it not

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for the President's leadership. We would not
be at a point where we were a couple of votes

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away, not in people but in sequencing, to
getting health care reform through the Senate.

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At that point we will have -- (cell phone
rings) Is somebody ordering a pizza?

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The Press:
Steele.

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(laughter)

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Mr. Gibbs:
Good, good.

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(laughter)

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Let me tell you, it's $30,000
if you answer that call.

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(laughter)

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We will have health care reform through the
House and through the Senate. That's never

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happened before. I think, again, we're at
a place that we've never been. We're closer

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to reform than we ever have been. You saw
David Axelrod and others over the weekend

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I think disagree with -- and I think, quite
frankly, if you look at -- disagree with Dr.

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Dean, and I think if you go through what's
in this bill and what's good for the American

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people, I think far and away this is a bill
that will provide people with important protections

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and make health -- true health care reform
a reality for the first time in 70 years.

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Jonathan.

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The Press:
Can you talk a little bit about the President's

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meeting today with community and small bankers?
What is the message to them, and how is that

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message different than the meeting that he
had with the big banks the week before?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, obviously, there are -- this group probably

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represents several thousand small and community
banks throughout the country. The President

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wants to have a discussion with the bankers
here about ways in which we can all work together,

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as he did with the bigger banks, to spur lending
to small and medium-sized businesses. The

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President will again reiterate his support
for comprehensive financial reform. I think

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those are the two main things that will be
on the President's list. Obviously, some issues

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like compensation are less of an issue for
these banks. We'll have a more fulsome readout

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of the meeting. I think
it's taking place right now.

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The Press:
And does he believe that the small and community

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banks are as reluctant to lend as the big banks?
Does he fault them for that? And does he --

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Mr. Gibbs:
These meetings aren't about -- finding fault

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with somebody doesn't help somebody get a
loan. We want to figure out how to work with

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small and community banks. We want to figure
out ways in which the environment for lending

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to these small and medium-sized businesses,
where that can be conducive for these banks.

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And if there are things that we can continue
to do to help that process, the President

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wants to hear it directly from them. Mark.

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The Press:
Robert, do you have any examples of ways in

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which lending could be
increased by these banks?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, let me get a full readout of the meeting

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once they conclude the meeting. I don't think
there's a lot that's done without hearing

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directly from what they talked about.

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The Press:
So far this morning, you have said three times

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it's not a question of when, but -- not a
question of if, but when the health care bill

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will be enacted. Do you see no
possible deal-breakers in conference?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I think -- I'm not saying that there aren't

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issues that have to be worked out. I think,
though, that there is significant and important

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momentum for health care reform. I think evaluating
this legislation in the many ways that it

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will help the American people -- whether you're
lucky enough to have health insurance in this

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country; whether you want accessible, affordable
insurance; whether you think it's time that

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the insurance companies have to change their
actions as it relates to things like preexisting

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conditions; whether you're a small business
that wants help; or whether you're concerned

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about the fiscal picture of the federal government
-- this bill will help all of those groups.

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And I think the President believes -- continues
to believe that we're going to get health

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care reform passed, to his desk, and signed.

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The Press:
Just a follow-up? On the hacking at Citigroup,

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the cyber security breach, has the White House
been briefed on this? Is the President aware?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I'm sure he saw the articles today. I do not

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00:17:44,461 --> 00:17:49,601
know whether he's been briefed
by others on this or not.

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The Press:
Is Schmidt on the job yet, or
would this be something that --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Obviously he would have equities in that,

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00:17:53,071 --> 00:17:54,821
as well as NEC and others.

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00:17:54,821 --> 00:17:59,501
The Press:
And on the debt limit, the House -- the Blue

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00:17:59,501 --> 00:18:02,181
Dogs voted for it and a lot of them think
they're negotiating with the White House for

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00:18:02,181 --> 00:18:06,531
statutory PAYGO, which of course the President
was for in June and for all throughout the

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00:18:06,531 --> 00:18:11,211
campaign. Is the White House negotiating in
good faith with these White House Democrats?

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Are they serious about enacting statutory
PAYGO, attaching it to raising the debt limit?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, obviously we've got -- the House passed

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00:18:20,281 --> 00:18:26,601
a temporary raise in that limit through I
think sometime in mid-February. I'm not going

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00:18:26,601 --> 00:18:32,871
to get out ahead of negotiations going forward.
Obviously the President and the White House

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are of course negotiating in good faith. We
share the concerns of many in the Blue Dog

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00:18:38,771 --> 00:18:43,571
caucus and many in the Democratic caucus and
the Republican caucus that are concerned about

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the fiscal health of our country. I think --

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The Press:
Is it on the table, though, in terms --

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00:18:50,481 --> 00:18:54,791
Mr. Gibbs:
Lots of things are on the table. I don't --

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The Press:
You don't want to use this
opportunity to negotiate --

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00:18:56,351 --> 00:18:58,251
Mr. Gibbs:
When you get elected and join the Blue Dog

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00:18:58,251 --> 00:18:59,581
caucus, Hans, we can do this right here.

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The Press:
I don't have outfits for that.

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00:19:01,101 --> 00:19:01,351
(laughter)

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00:19:01,291 --> 00:19:02,721
Mr. Gibbs:
I'm not sure entirely sure the pants are going

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00:19:02,721 --> 00:19:06,471
to work in caucus, but I don't want to dissuade
you from trying.

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00:19:06,471 --> 00:19:06,721
(laughter)

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00:19:06,721 --> 00:19:09,211
The Press:
A pink polka-dot shirt and a checkered tie.

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00:19:09,211 --> 00:19:09,461
(laughter)

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00:19:09,461 --> 00:19:12,211
Mr. Gibbs:
Yes. What color are your socks? What color

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00:19:12,211 --> 00:19:12,941
are your socks today?

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00:19:12,941 --> 00:19:13,791
The Press:
All right.

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00:19:13,791 --> 00:19:17,541
Mr. Gibbs:
What color? Come on, we're going to be transparent;

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00:19:17,541 --> 00:19:18,701
we're going to be open.

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(laughter)

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00:19:18,931 --> 00:19:22,361
What are we wearing today, Hans? Show them
to the world.

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00:19:22,361 --> 00:19:22,921
The Press:
Robert, my socks --

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00:19:22,921 --> 00:19:23,171
Mr. Gibbs:
With your purple-striped tie.

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00:19:22,981 --> 00:19:25,761
The Press:
-- my socks are -- they're
the color of your tie

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00:19:25,761 --> 00:19:27,101
Mr. Gibbs:
Excellent.

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00:19:27,101 --> 00:19:27,551
(laughter)

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00:19:27,551 --> 00:19:34,201
I rest my case. Major, with the snappy blue
tie and hopefully darker socks. Go ahead.

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00:19:34,201 --> 00:19:34,451
The Press:
Much darker.

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00:19:34,381 --> 00:19:34,791
Mr. Gibbs:
Good, good.

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00:19:34,791 --> 00:19:35,121
(laughter)

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00:19:35,121 --> 00:19:38,861
The Press:
Which bill does the White House think is better

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00:19:38,861 --> 00:19:43,801
for the American people, on health care, the
House bill or the Senate bill?

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00:19:43,801 --> 00:19:47,121
Mr. Gibbs:
I have not asked whether they've come to a

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00:19:47,121 --> 00:19:53,761
conclusion as to what exact legislation is
better. I will tell you this, Major, I think

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00:19:53,761 --> 00:19:58,751
in both bills you have many of the things
that I've talked about in this briefing and

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00:19:58,751 --> 00:20:02,881
many of the things that you've heard the administration
talk about for months. Each of these bills

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meets the principles that the President laid
down in front of Congress and the American

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00:20:07,951 --> 00:20:14,951
people back in a speech in September. Comprehensive
health care reform is in each one of these

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00:20:17,221 --> 00:20:24,221
bills -- help with the skyrocketing cost of
premiums; help with the cost of health care;

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00:20:24,231 --> 00:20:30,681
help with affordable insurance; help with
insurance reforms. All of those things are

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in both of these bills, and the President
looks forward to signing a bill making health

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care reform a reality.

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The Press:
Two principal differences -- there are many,

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00:20:40,481 --> 00:20:44,851
but two principal I'd like to ask you about.
The House bill of course has a public option;

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00:20:44,851 --> 00:20:48,411
the Senate bill does not. The Senate bill
has a taxation system on so-called "Cadillac"

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health care benefit plans; the House has a
surtax on the wealthy. Which does the White

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00:20:51,191 --> 00:20:52,631
House prefer?

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00:20:52,631 --> 00:20:59,601
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, Major, I'm not going to get into the

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00:20:59,601 --> 00:21:04,601
negotiations that will take place once the
Senate passes a piece of legislation. Those

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will happen when we --

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The Press:
The White House at some point
will offer an opinion?

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00:21:07,671 --> 00:21:10,031
Mr. Gibbs:
As I said earlier, the President and his team

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00:21:10,031 --> 00:21:14,951
will be involved in -- as they have been to
get bills to this point -- in the negotiations

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00:21:14,951 --> 00:21:16,461
to get a bill from that point to his desk.

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The Press:
Does the White House prefer that these conference

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00:21:18,661 --> 00:21:20,781
negotiations be carried out in public?

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00:21:20,781 --> 00:21:24,041
Mr. Gibbs:
We're hopeful to get things done quickly and

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00:21:24,041 --> 00:21:29,341
have something that the President can sign.

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00:21:29,341 --> 00:21:31,321
The Press:
Does it have -- I mean, you've mentioned throughout

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00:21:31,321 --> 00:21:32,761
this debate a commitment to transparency.
Is now a time for transparency, or is speed

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00:21:32,761 --> 00:21:34,801
a more important factor for the White House?

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00:21:34,801 --> 00:21:38,111
Mr. Gibbs:
Getting something done for the American people

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00:21:38,111 --> 00:21:44,161
is the most important thing that we can do
for millions of Americans that struggle with

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00:21:44,161 --> 00:21:45,691
the high cost of health care.

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The Press:
GDP at 2.2, revised downward. What's the economic

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00:21:49,471 --> 00:21:52,481
team believe about this? What did they tell
the President about it, if they did offer

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00:21:52,481 --> 00:21:55,001
an opinion today at the economic briefing?

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00:21:55,001 --> 00:21:58,521
Mr. Gibbs:
We did not have an economic daily briefing

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00:21:58,521 --> 00:22:02,151
this morning. The President
usually gets this information --

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00:22:02,151 --> 00:22:04,481
The Press:
-- which started at 10:20 a.m. so I apologize.

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00:22:04,481 --> 00:22:11,481
Mr. Gibbs:
You and me both. Look, I think obviously you've

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seen the number revised down, I think largely
based on inventory.
Again, I'd take you back to what we saw in

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00:22:25,651 --> 00:22:32,651
the first quarter of the year, a GDP downturn
that we hadn't seen in nearly three decades.

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We saw an increase in that -- just a slight
lessening in the GDP in the second quarter.

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00:22:40,951 --> 00:22:47,951
And now we've seen positive growth for the
first time in over a year in each of the numbers

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00:22:48,281 --> 00:22:54,521
that were put out for the third quarter. And
we're certainly hopeful to continue a trajectory

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for the economy that we've seen over the past
few quarters. This is -- as I've said countless

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00:23:00,631 --> 00:23:06,811
times, this was not a problem that was going to be
solved overnight. We didn't get here overnight --

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The Press:
Satisfied with --

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00:23:09,011 --> 00:23:12,741
Mr. Gibbs:
We are -- I don't think the President will

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00:23:12,741 --> 00:23:18,531
be satisfied until we see not just positive
economic growth, but positive economic growth

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00:23:18,531 --> 00:23:23,961
that leads to positive jobs growth; and that
the millions of people that want to find work

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00:23:23,961 --> 00:23:29,221
and can't right now in this
country will be able to do so.

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00:23:29,221 --> 00:23:36,221
The Press:
One last quick one on health care. McConnell

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00:23:36,431 --> 00:23:37,081
said yesterday the deals tied in the last
few days to procure the necessary 60 votes

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00:23:37,081 --> 00:23:39,701
were "smelly," among other adjectives. Does
the White House consider anything that they

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00:23:39,701 --> 00:23:43,241
saw play out within the Senate
caucus in any way objectionable?

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00:23:43,241 --> 00:23:46,091
Mr. Gibbs:
I'd refer you to what David said over the

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00:23:46,091 --> 00:23:52,801
weekend, which is the legislative is what
the legislative process is and has been for

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00:23:52,801 --> 00:23:59,161
several hundred years. I think --

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The Press:
Changing that part of legislation is not something

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00:23:59,641 --> 00:24:05,841
the White House considered crucial in this
debate? I mean, the President often talked

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00:24:05,841 --> 00:24:06,561
on the campaign about things that
could be done differently.

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00:24:06,561 --> 00:24:08,461
Mr. Gibbs:
Sure, right. Well, I think one of the things

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00:24:08,461 --> 00:24:10,891
that's going to be done differently is we're
going to have health care reform in this country.

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00:24:10,891 --> 00:24:17,631
The President thinks that's an enormously
good thing for the American people.

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The Press:
Robert, over the weekend the White House issued

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00:24:19,501 --> 00:24:24,521
a statement noting the death of Ayatollah
Montazeri, and I don't recall any White House

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00:24:24,521 --> 00:24:30,071
noting the death of previous leaders of the
'79 revolution in Iran. He's obviously a critic

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00:24:30,071 --> 00:24:35,271
of Ahmadinejad and a prominent figure in the
opposition. Why did the White House choose

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00:24:35,271 --> 00:24:36,661
to note his death?

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00:24:36,661 --> 00:24:39,211
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I would point you to what the President

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00:24:39,211 --> 00:24:46,211
said in his speech in Oslo, and I would simply
say that I think if you look at his actions

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00:24:53,601 --> 00:25:00,601
post the revolution that you're talking about
in order to seek greater human rights is something

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00:25:01,481 --> 00:25:08,481
that we all support. And I'd refer you back
again to what we talked about earlier with

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00:25:09,801 --> 00:25:16,381
Iran. They have an opportunity to take steps
to fulfill their international responsibilities.

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00:25:16,381 --> 00:25:21,761
We haven't -- we not only haven't seen
that from the Iranians, we've actually seen

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00:25:21,761 --> 00:25:28,761
throughout the course of this year and the
past several years attempts to very much hide

336
00:25:31,021 --> 00:25:38,021
what their activities were. This administration,
working through the IAEA and its allies, have

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00:25:39,441 --> 00:25:45,621
taken steps to bring the international community
along. And if Iran fails to live up to its

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00:25:45,621 --> 00:25:48,861
obligations by the end of the
year, we'll take our next steps.

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00:25:48,861 --> 00:25:53,311
The Press:
A quick follow. Does the White House believe

340
00:25:53,311 --> 00:25:58,061
that this statement had an energizing effect
on demonstrators who showed up in Qom around
his funeral?

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00:25:58,061 --> 00:26:09,091
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know. I haven't heard
directly from NSC on that.

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00:26:09,091 --> 00:26:10,801
The Press:
Robert, can I ask about the budget that's

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00:26:10,801 --> 00:26:13,051
coming up that I guess we're about a month
and a half away from? In his contracting remarks

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00:26:13,051 --> 00:26:16,331
earlier this week, the President briefly spoke
about it and said it requires some tough choices.

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00:26:16,331 --> 00:26:23,331
Has he actually said to the Cabinet chiefs,
okay, you guys got to come back to me with

346
00:26:23,381 --> 00:26:27,741
savings? Has he said, this is going to be
an austerity budget and talked about things

347
00:26:27,741 --> 00:26:30,181
like spending freezes or anything like that?
Are there marching orders yet for that?

348
00:26:30,181 --> 00:26:31,911
Mr. Gibbs:
The President has been involved over the course

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00:26:31,911 --> 00:26:38,911
of the last three or four weeks, probably
four or five different budget meetings. Obviously,

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00:26:38,971 --> 00:26:43,991
Peter has worked with agencies about their
budget requests for the next fiscal year.

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00:26:43,991 --> 00:26:50,991
And I think, though not all those decisions
have been made, I think the President has

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00:26:53,461 --> 00:27:00,461
expressed a concern -- twofold -- about continuing
our economic recovery, doing what we have

353
00:27:02,261 --> 00:27:09,261
to do to create an environment where the private
sector is creating jobs; and secondly, in

354
00:27:09,801 --> 00:27:16,501
the medium and the long term, take steps to
greatly reduce our deficit and take the necessary

355
00:27:16,501 --> 00:27:21,541
steps to get ourselves back on a path toward
fiscal responsibility. I mentioned fiscal

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00:27:21,541 --> 00:27:28,541
responsibility in health care not simply based
on the fact that CBO reports that our budget

357
00:27:30,191 --> 00:27:36,301
situation will be -- this bill is not just
deficit-neutral, it will actually improve

358
00:27:36,301 --> 00:27:41,211
our fiscal situation. And, again, remember
that we are having -- one of the reasons that

359
00:27:41,211 --> 00:27:46,681
this debate has taken so long is, unlike other
things that have come down the pike in Washington

360
00:27:46,681 --> 00:27:52,051
over the past several years, the President
made a commitment to pay for it. The two biggest

361
00:27:52,051 --> 00:27:59,051
drivers in the budget deficit that we have
right now -- I should say two of the three

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00:27:59,411 --> 00:28:05,001
biggest drivers -- one is economic, just simple
economic activity, which the President as

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00:28:05,001 --> 00:28:12,001
I mentioned earlier is working hard to restore.
But the two biggest spending programs are

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00:28:12,581 --> 00:28:18,051
2001 and 2003 tax cuts that weren't paid for
and a prescription drug benefit that wasn't

365
00:28:18,051 --> 00:28:25,051
paid for. Major talks about changing the way
Washington works. The President proposed comprehensive

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00:28:27,021 --> 00:28:31,871
health care reform in this country, and then
changed the way Washington works by actually

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00:28:31,871 --> 00:28:38,871
talking about and paying for it, understanding
that we have to take steps to get our country

368
00:28:39,131 --> 00:28:40,121
back on a path toward fiscal responsibility.

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00:28:40,121 --> 00:28:44,191
The Press:
My question is about agency budgets that the

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00:28:44,191 --> 00:28:48,491
President is going to have to submit shortly.

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00:28:48,491 --> 00:28:49,011
Mr. Gibbs:
Sure.

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00:28:49,011 --> 00:28:51,101
The Press:
Has he told them it's time
for an austerity budget?

373
00:28:51,101 --> 00:28:53,041
Mr. Gibbs:
I'm not going to get ahead of what the budget

374
00:28:53,041 --> 00:29:03,861
is going to look like in February. But suffice
to say, that it will not look as it has in
the past.

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00:29:03,861 --> 00:29:05,171
The Press:
Robert, just two questions.

376
00:29:05,171 --> 00:29:06,261
Mr. Gibbs:
Just two, Lester.

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00:29:06,261 --> 00:29:09,051
The Press:
Only two. First, does the President support

378
00:29:09,051 --> 00:29:16,051
Senator Akaka's native Hawaiian government
reorganization act, creating a native Hawaiian

379
00:29:17,381 --> 00:29:23,381
government within the state of Hawaii? And,
if so, why not support statehood for American

380
00:29:23,381 --> 00:29:24,241
Indian reservations?

381
00:29:24,241 --> 00:29:26,891
Mr. Gibbs:
Are those -- is that both questions?

382
00:29:26,891 --> 00:29:28,471
The Press:
No, no, that's one.

383
00:29:28,471 --> 00:29:29,141
Mr. Gibbs:
That's two questions.

384
00:29:29,141 --> 00:29:31,801
The Press:
No, I said -- it's a one question. I really

385
00:29:31,801 --> 00:29:32,931
have just one more, that's all.

386
00:29:32,931 --> 00:29:34,061
Mr. Gibbs:
That seems like three.

387
00:29:34,061 --> 00:29:36,331
The Press:
No, no, no.

388
00:29:36,331 --> 00:29:39,051
Mr. Gibbs:
Are you sure?

389
00:29:39,051 --> 00:29:40,861
The Press:
I'm positive it's only one, and it had two parts.

390
00:29:40,861 --> 00:29:41,021
(laughter)

391
00:29:41,021 --> 00:29:42,911
Go ahead. It was on the same thing.

392
00:29:42,911 --> 00:29:46,611
Mr. Gibbs:
Can I just contemplate that for a second,

393
00:29:46,611 --> 00:29:52,721
your two-part one question, Lester?

394
00:29:52,721 --> 00:29:54,731
The Press:
You're a very funny man.

395
00:29:54,731 --> 00:29:56,451
Mr. Gibbs:
You know, I practice.

396
00:29:56,451 --> 00:29:56,701
(laughter)

397
00:29:56,451 --> 00:30:00,681
I will give you a one-part answer, which is,
this was asked last week and I neglected to

398
00:30:00,681 --> 00:30:03,081
check on it.

399
00:30:03,081 --> 00:30:05,741
The Press:
Okay, does the President believe that a flight

400
00:30:05,741 --> 00:30:11,431
attendant who directed passengers to adhere
to the rules by turning off cell phones should

401
00:30:11,431 --> 00:30:18,071
be called a "bitch" by any U.S. senator?

402
00:30:18,071 --> 00:30:22,171
Mr. Gibbs:
We may need a couple of those flight attendants

403
00:30:22,171 --> 00:30:29,171
in this room to tell people to turn off their
cell phones. I think Senator Schumer has apologized.

404
00:30:29,531 --> 00:30:31,231
The Press:
He didn't apologize until it was reported.

405
00:30:31,231 --> 00:30:35,291
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, if it wasn't reported, Lester, you wouldn't

406
00:30:35,291 --> 00:30:36,831
be asking your three-part question.

407
00:30:36,831 --> 00:30:39,121
The Press:
That's right. Thank you very much, and Merry

408
00:30:39,121 --> 00:30:39,801
Christmas to you.

409
00:30:39,801 --> 00:30:44,171
Mr. Gibbs:
Merry Christmas to you. Yes, sir.

410
00:30:44,171 --> 00:30:50,211
The Press:
Robert, there's a couple meetings with the

411
00:30:50,211 --> 00:30:51,061
NEC this week. Is this with an eye towards
some new proposals for the new year?

412
00:30:51,061 --> 00:30:51,311
Mr. Gibbs:
I'm sorry?

413
00:30:51,271 --> 00:30:51,801
The Press:
A couple meetings with the NEC this week.

414
00:30:51,801 --> 00:30:52,281
Are they cooking up something
for the new year?

415
00:30:52,281 --> 00:30:56,261
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, they continue to talk about details

416
00:30:56,261 --> 00:31:01,621
for what the President talked about in his
Brookings speech, to create -- to help that

417
00:31:01,621 --> 00:31:08,581
atmosphere to create jobs. Some of those meetings
have also been budget meetings that Mark talked

418
00:31:08,581 --> 00:31:14,741
about as well. So those certainly continue.
I don't know if there are any on the books

419
00:31:14,741 --> 00:31:14,991
for tomorrow. But they'll certainly continue
throughout this week. Yes, ma'am.

420
00:31:14,801 --> 00:31:15,051
The Press:
Thanks, Robert. Now that we've finished the

421
00:31:14,841 --> 00:31:15,471
2010 spending bill, I'm just wondering how
you all viewed the process. The final two

422
00:31:15,471 --> 00:31:17,781
bills had about $8 billion in earmarks and
obviously they had to do another omnibus.

423
00:31:17,781 --> 00:31:24,781
So how would you guys evaluate the way things
worked this year and what, heading into next

424
00:31:25,601 --> 00:31:32,601
year's budget, if anything, is the White House
going to call on Congress to do differently?

425
00:31:35,781 --> 00:31:38,501
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, I don't want to get ahead of

426
00:31:38,501 --> 00:31:42,511
budgetary announcements that will be made
when a budget comes up toward the beginning

427
00:31:42,511 --> 00:31:49,511
of February. I said this I think last week
whenever we were asked about this, that far

428
00:31:52,801 --> 00:31:58,891
from perfect, the legislation did have a reduction
in earmarks, which the President believes

429
00:31:58,891 --> 00:32:05,171
is a good thing. Obviously the President said
at the beginning of the year that we'd like

430
00:32:05,171 --> 00:32:11,871
to see bills go through in regular order and
done so in a more orderly way. I think that

431
00:32:11,871 --> 00:32:18,871
was made much more difficult this year based
on, in all honesty, we've watched the floor

432
00:32:19,651 --> 00:32:26,651
of the Senate be taken up by a series of delaying
tactics which I think many would find curious,

433
00:32:28,721 --> 00:32:34,491
given the fact that delaying tactics normally
follow bills that I think have passed, in

434
00:32:34,491 --> 00:32:40,041
one case 88-10; in another case I think it
was something like 95-5 -- sort of unclear

435
00:32:40,041 --> 00:32:47,041
why people would delay a piece of legislation
that ultimately passes 88-10. Look, we'll

436
00:32:49,271 --> 00:32:56,181
certainly look for more congeniality and cooperation
next year in making the process flow more

437
00:32:56,181 --> 00:32:57,501
easily. Yes, sir.

438
00:32:57,501 --> 00:32:59,141
The Press:
Thanks, Robert. I have a question on the Navy

439
00:32:59,141 --> 00:33:04,801
SEALs case. One of the SEALs were arraigned
today, and I want to ask, does the President

440
00:33:04,801 --> 00:33:10,911
believe that court martial was the appropriate --

441
00:33:10,911 --> 00:33:16,871
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't think the President should get involved

442
00:33:16,871 --> 00:33:21,421
in legal cases like this. And if you have
-- if you're looking for comment, I think

443
00:33:21,421 --> 00:33:23,971
either the Pentagon or the Department
of Justice is a good place to be.

444
00:33:23,971 --> 00:33:25,541
The Press:
And one second question.

445
00:33:25,541 --> 00:33:27,711
Mr. Gibbs:
Just one, right?

446
00:33:27,711 --> 00:33:28,151
(laughter)

447
00:33:28,151 --> 00:33:32,471
The Press:
It's -- well, yes. It's holiday related, actually.

448
00:33:32,471 --> 00:33:38,391
This is -- will the President be attending
church on Christmas, and how is the search

449
00:33:38,391 --> 00:33:41,391
for a church going?

450
00:33:41,391 --> 00:33:44,421
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know what the President's schedule

451
00:33:44,421 --> 00:33:50,531
is. As I mentioned at the very beginning,
some of that is up in flux. The President

452
00:33:50,531 --> 00:33:57,531
has, as you all know and as we've discussed,
attended fairly regularly up at Camp David

453
00:33:58,541 --> 00:34:05,541
a church that he's comfortable in and has
enjoyed attending. The President also understands

454
00:34:05,951 --> 00:34:12,951
that whenever he does go to church it's, in
many ways -- there are a number of inconveniences

455
00:34:14,010 --> 00:34:17,210
that other parishioners have to go through,
and the President has tried in many ways to
minimize that.

456
00:34:17,210 --> 00:34:23,070
The Press:
Thanks, Robert. I wanted to get just a little

457
00:34:23,070 --> 00:34:26,800
more detail about how the President will structure
his vacation schedule -- because Presidents

458
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:33,800
are never really on vacation. Can you tell
us, is the plan to set aside a certain window

459
00:34:34,451 --> 00:34:38,941
for briefings? And specifically on two issues,
health care and Afghanistan, do you expect

460
00:34:38,941 --> 00:34:43,331
that he would get at least
once a day an update on that?

461
00:34:43,330 --> 00:34:49,150
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't have the schedule -- like I said,

462
00:34:49,151 --> 00:34:51,711
I don't have the schedule in front of me.
I would hit on the point that you did in the

463
00:34:51,710 --> 00:34:58,480
premise of your question, which is rarely
are Presidents on vacation. I went to Hawaii

464
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:05,480
with then-candidate Obama and I would mention
that national party nominees are not also

465
00:35:05,570 --> 00:35:12,570
on vacation much either. I think the President
has, in discussions with his team here, if

466
00:35:12,941 --> 00:35:19,941
there are updates regarding and surrounding
health care, that he's obviously always available.

467
00:35:20,820 --> 00:35:27,820
The President will continue to get daily intelligence
updates and security updates, as he does here

468
00:35:29,091 --> 00:35:36,091
and when he travels abroad, and will have
obviously an extensive network of whatever

469
00:35:39,270 --> 00:35:44,060
is needed to stay on top of
whatever situations happen.

470
00:35:44,060 --> 00:35:47,270
The Press:
And a quick follow. Can you tell us, does

471
00:35:47,270 --> 00:35:54,270
he plan to actually begin working on the State
of the Union address on this vacation? And

472
00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:56,330
can you tell us which aides -- like, is the
speechwriter going for all or part of the

473
00:35:56,330 --> 00:36:00,200
trip; anyone at the chief of staff or deputy
chief of staff level going for some or all

474
00:36:00,201 --> 00:36:01,061
of the trip?

475
00:36:01,060 --> 00:36:03,880
Mr. Gibbs:
Let me try to get a list of who is going.

476
00:36:03,881 --> 00:36:08,971
I do not believe that a speechwriter is going.
I think the President -- the President has

477
00:36:08,970 --> 00:36:14,680
had meetings on the State of the Union --
there's a meeting later today, unless it's

478
00:36:14,681 --> 00:36:20,341
been rejiggered that is on the State of the
Union and preparations that are being made

479
00:36:20,341 --> 00:36:26,091
for that. Obviously lots of those meetings
have happened at the staff level. Let me get

480
00:36:26,091 --> 00:36:33,091
a fuller list. I know from the press shop
obviously Bill and Nick are going. But let

481
00:36:33,330 --> 00:36:39,400
me get a -- I have in mind but I just want
to confirm which people are going on behalf

482
00:36:39,401 --> 00:36:40,051
of the staff.

483
00:36:40,050 --> 00:36:42,880
The Press:
Do you expect any public events
at all during the vacation?

484
00:36:42,881 --> 00:36:45,681
Mr. Gibbs:
No. Again, I think as he's wont to do, he

485
00:36:45,681 --> 00:36:52,681
will probably take the girls out for shaved
ice; they may go do various and sundry things

486
00:36:54,570 --> 00:37:01,570
in and around Hawaii. But there
are no public events that --

487
00:37:01,710 --> 00:37:09,920
The Press:
Is there a date for the State of the Union yet?

488
00:37:09,921 --> 00:37:10,691
Mr. Gibbs:
No.

489
00:37:10,691 --> 00:37:11,711
The Press:
Do you have an idea?

490
00:37:11,710 --> 00:37:12,360
Mr. Gibbs:
I do.

491
00:37:12,361 --> 00:37:12,611
(laughter)

492
00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:13,820
The Press:
-- for planning purposes only.

493
00:37:13,820 --> 00:37:15,440
The Press:
Right, we won't tell anyone.

494
00:37:15,441 --> 00:37:16,601
Mr. Gibbs:
Sometime in 2010.

495
00:37:16,601 --> 00:37:18,461
The Press:
Do you know if the President called up Tim

496
00:37:18,460 --> 00:37:23,510
Kaine's radio show this morning, identifying
himself as "Barry from D.C."?

497
00:37:23,510 --> 00:37:23,990
(laughter)

498
00:37:23,990 --> 00:37:27,450
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know if he did, but that would not

499
00:37:27,451 --> 00:37:28,351
be inaccurate -- yes.

500
00:37:28,351 --> 00:37:31,511
The Press:
It sounded like him. I just wasn't sure.

501
00:37:31,510 --> 00:37:33,870
Mr. Gibbs:
I think this is Governor Kaine's last radio

502
00:37:33,871 --> 00:37:40,871
show and I know there was a call sheet that
went in. Likely it went in -- if he identified

503
00:37:41,810 --> 00:37:45,710
himself as Barry from D.C., is to surprise
the Governor of Virginia.

504
00:37:45,710 --> 00:37:50,560
The Press:
Just to follow up on an earlier question --

505
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:52,720
Mr. Gibbs:
Which one?

506
00:37:52,720 --> 00:37:56,510
The Press:
Norah's. Why did the President and his team

507
00:37:56,510 --> 00:38:01,520
never bring up the public option in discussions
with Senator Joseph Lieberman, as he said

508
00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:01,870
yesterday?

509
00:38:01,871 --> 00:38:04,611
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I'm not going to rehash --

510
00:38:04,611 --> 00:38:06,641
The Press:
It's not really rehashing.

511
00:38:06,641 --> 00:38:10,191
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, if you're looking back, it's generally

512
00:38:10,191 --> 00:38:16,181
rehashing. Look, I think the President has
been clear on what he supported. I think members

513
00:38:16,181 --> 00:38:22,621
of the Senate have been clear on what they
didn't support. The President believes that,

514
00:38:22,621 --> 00:38:27,211
and I think you -- refer you to an interview
that he did yesterday -- health care reform

515
00:38:27,210 --> 00:38:32,580
that passed in the Senate contains about 95
percent of what he wanted in health care reform.

516
00:38:32,580 --> 00:38:37,770
And the President is quite pleased with the
product and looks forward to signing comprehensive

517
00:38:37,770 --> 00:38:39,820
health care reform.

518
00:38:39,820 --> 00:38:41,590
The Press:
About two weeks ago you said that he had done

519
00:38:41,591 --> 00:38:42,691
everything he could to get
the public option passed.

520
00:38:42,691 --> 00:38:43,231
Mr. Gibbs:
Yes, that's true.

521
00:38:43,230 --> 00:38:45,060
The Press:
Do you still stand by that, having not talked

522
00:38:45,060 --> 00:38:49,150
to Joseph Lieberman about his
objections to the public option?

523
00:38:49,151 --> 00:38:50,831
Mr. Gibbs:
Absolutely, absolutely. Bill.

524
00:38:50,830 --> 00:38:55,550
The Press:
Thanks, Robert. The commander in northern

525
00:38:55,550 --> 00:38:57,840
Iraq has issued a new ruling saying that women
soldiers who get pregnant will be subject

526
00:38:57,841 --> 00:39:02,701
to court martial. Is that -- does***4532 that
rule pass the chain through Defense Department

527
00:39:02,701 --> 00:39:05,101
and the White House before
it was issued? And does the --

528
00:39:05,101 --> 00:39:07,461
Mr. Gibbs:
I have no knowledge of this, so let me --

529
00:39:07,460 --> 00:39:08,940
The Press:
-- Commander-in-Chief approve of it?

530
00:39:08,941 --> 00:39:11,801
Mr. Gibbs:
Let me go find some background information.

531
00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:14,130
I don't have anything.

532
00:39:14,131 --> 00:39:17,081
The Press:
You might have already addressed this with

533
00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:21,290
some of the Jack Johnson stuff, but with the
holidays here, is the President actively considering

534
00:39:21,290 --> 00:39:21,550
any pardons?

535
00:39:21,550 --> 00:39:24,870
Mr. Gibbs:
No. I think in terms of -- well, let me --

536
00:39:24,871 --> 00:39:31,871
I don't know, in terms of broader pardons. In
terms of Jack Johnson, I think the Department

537
00:39:32,411 --> 00:39:38,951
of Justice came back recommending
-- not recommending a pardon on that.

538
00:39:38,951 --> 00:39:39,201
The Press:
Are there others he's considering --

539
00:39:39,181 --> 00:39:41,651
Mr. Gibbs:
Let me check and see whether there are holiday

540
00:39:41,651 --> 00:39:42,391
ones. Paula.

541
00:39:42,391 --> 00:39:46,111
The Press:
On health care reform, over the weekend Senator

542
00:39:46,111 --> 00:39:52,431
Snowe said that one of her major concerns
about the cost of this bill, Senate bill is

543
00:39:52,431 --> 00:39:58,381
the one on long-term insurance that half of
the revenue savings would come from that provision

544
00:39:58,381 --> 00:40:03,211
alone, it's front-loaded. Does the White House
share any concerns about that provision?

545
00:40:03,210 --> 00:40:06,370
Mr. Gibbs:
I'd have to talk directly to some of the guys

546
00:40:06,371 --> 00:40:11,041
on that, but I think the President is very
comfortable with where the Senate bill is

547
00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:14,820
and looks forward to its
passage in a couple of days.

548
00:40:14,820 --> 00:40:18,330
The Press:
And also, I know the White House doesn't

549
00:40:18,330 --> 00:40:21,600
like to set deadlines for health care reform,
but would it be safe to say the President

550
00:40:21,601 --> 00:40:23,831
would like this signed into law
before the State of the Union?

551
00:40:23,830 --> 00:40:25,690
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, since we don't know when that is --

552
00:40:25,690 --> 00:40:29,460
(laughter) -- that might be a series of moving
deadlines. The President looks forward to

553
00:40:29,460 --> 00:40:36,460
signing this as soon as Congress sends it
to him. Ken, did you have a question?

554
00:40:37,191 --> 00:40:42,691
The Press:
Yes, sir. Some of the back-and-forth with

555
00:40:42,691 --> 00:40:44,111
the folks who were pro the public option or
the Medicare extension seems to have cooled

556
00:40:44,111 --> 00:40:45,221
off a little bit, but there's still a few
people who have some complaints. Is the White

557
00:40:45,220 --> 00:40:52,220
House doing anything to reach out to these
folks, considering that they are part of the

558
00:40:52,230 --> 00:40:53,250
President's constituency, to
try and keep things cool?

559
00:40:53,250 --> 00:40:56,900
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I think, and I think David mentioned

560
00:40:56,901 --> 00:41:02,341
this on the Sunday shows, Nancy Ann spent
45 minutes with Governor Dean on Saturday

561
00:41:02,341 --> 00:41:09,341
on the phone to walk him through what actually
was in the Senate bill. I think Governor Dean

562
00:41:09,891 --> 00:41:15,591
mentioned in that show that things like medical
loss ratio that prevent insurance companies

563
00:41:15,591 --> 00:41:22,591
from padding their pockets was something that
was in the bill, and I think his earlier criticism

564
00:41:24,260 --> 00:41:31,260
that nothing was done about things like that,
after hearing from somebody as smart as Nancy

565
00:41:32,540 --> 00:41:38,750
Ann was in terms of that policy, I think he
obviously came to the conclusion that some

566
00:41:38,750 --> 00:41:42,900
of the things he didn't believe
were in the bill were in the bill.

567
00:41:42,901 --> 00:41:43,551
The Press:
Beyond Governor Dean, there are some folks

568
00:41:43,550 --> 00:41:49,110
who think that there could be some lasting
damage from this whole episode. What concerns

569
00:41:49,111 --> 00:41:55,291
does the White House have that some folks
who obviously supported candidate Obama have

570
00:41:55,290 --> 00:41:56,830
some problems with the way things have gone?

571
00:41:56,830 --> 00:41:59,540
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I would simply say to them I think the

572
00:41:59,540 --> 00:42:05,940
very same thing the President would say to
them, which is, look at the entire bill. Look

573
00:42:05,941 --> 00:42:10,731
at what this bill does -- if you're concerned
about the skyrocketing costs of health care

574
00:42:10,730 --> 00:42:15,440
for families and small businesses, that's
addressed in this comprehensive health care

575
00:42:15,441 --> 00:42:22,441
reform. If you're concerned about 30 million
or so Americans that have lacked basic insurance,

576
00:42:24,010 --> 00:42:31,010
look at what this bill does for them. Look
at what this bill does to curb insurance abuses

577
00:42:31,540 --> 00:42:37,570
in preexisting conditions. Look at what the
legislation does, as I mentioned a minute

578
00:42:37,570 --> 00:42:44,570
ago, on medical loss ratio. Look at what this
bill does for our fiscal picture. And understand,

579
00:42:47,070 --> 00:42:51,620
as the President said, about 95 percent of
what he wanted out of health care reform is

580
00:42:51,621 --> 00:42:58,621
in this legislation. The President is enormously
proud of this legislation and what it -- 

581
00:43:00,810 --> 00:43:04,710
and the fact that it's about to get through
the Senate. He's enormously proud that it's

582
00:43:04,710 --> 00:43:09,130
gotten through the House. And as I said, it's
not a matter of if, it's a matter of when

583
00:43:09,131 --> 00:43:15,981
we have comprehensive health care reform in
this country -- something that Presidents

584
00:43:15,980 --> 00:43:21,660
have tried to do for 70 years and what many
of the people that you talk about have been

585
00:43:21,661 --> 00:43:28,661
working decades on as well. I think when people
have a chance to look at all of what is in

586
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:34,760
the legislation, not just focus on one provision,
that people will be as enormously proud of

587
00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:41,400
what we're on the cusp of accomplishing as
the President and his entire team are. I'll

588
00:43:41,401 --> 00:43:47,781
take one more from Christina and
then we'll disappear for 2009.

589
00:43:47,780 --> 00:43:48,030
The Press:
Thanks, Robert. Senator Dorgan has charged

590
00:43:47,810 --> 00:43:51,890
that the White House pressured the FDA to
send this letter that helps kill the drug

591
00:43:51,891 --> 00:43:53,891
reimportation amendment. What is the White
House response to this? And I know a lot of

592
00:43:53,891 --> 00:44:01,081
people have referred us back to the FDA --
the FDA is not denying it; Senator Dorgan

593
00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:02,880
stands by his charge.

594
00:44:02,881 --> 00:44:07,871
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, and I would simply say -- Christina,

595
00:44:07,871 --> 00:44:12,591
concerns by the Food and Drug Administration
about re-importation are not something that

596
00:44:12,591 --> 00:44:18,641
came to the fore in the Obama administration,
right? Drug re-importation, which the President

597
00:44:18,641 --> 00:44:25,641
supports if one can do it safely, were the
concern of the previous administration's Food

598
00:44:28,361 --> 00:44:30,891
and Drug Administration and the concern of the
Food and Drug Administration to the administration

599
00:44:30,891 --> 00:44:37,751
previous to that. So this is about a 10-year
concern by the Food and Drug Administration

600
00:44:37,750 --> 00:44:42,170
in terms of safety. So I think the notion
that somehow this argument cropped up in the

601
00:44:42,171 --> 00:44:49,231
last two weeks by our Food and Drug Administration,
I think if you simply look back at the history

602
00:44:49,230 --> 00:44:55,690
of concerns that have been had about safety,
they've been there for quite some time. Happy

603
00:44:55,691 --> 00:44:56,371
holidays, guys.

604
00:44:56,371 --> 00:45:00,411
The Press:
Any chance for a press
conference before he leaves?

605
00:45:00,411 --> 00:45:03,341
Mr. Gibbs:
No. Enjoy your holidays. Thank you.

606
00:45:03,341 --> 00:45:05,911
The Press:
-- Parker Griffith, Democrat from Alabama

607
00:45:05,911 --> 00:45:08,851
announcing he is switching
parties today. Any comment?

608
00:45:08,851 --> 00:45:11,781
Mr. Gibbs:
I haven't seen that information, thanks.