FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2003

CONTACT: Brendan Daly (202)225-0100

Pelosi Address to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

This evening, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke before the Religous Action Center of Reform Judaism's biennial 'Consultation on Conscience' conference. Below is a transcript of her remarks:

"Two years ago, I had the honor of attending your Consultation on Conscience Conference. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with the Religious Action Center on so many issues, all bound by a single goal – a nation that is just and fair for all people.

"It is a pleasure to be back with so many friends.

"Today, the thoughts and prayers of all Americans are with our courageous forces in Iraq. Americans may have had our differences going into this war, but of course we are united behind our men and women in uniform in harm’s way.

"Americans are seeing for themselves what I saw on my trip to the Persian Gulf a month ago and my previous visits around the country with our troops at bases here at home.

"Our men and women in uniform are the best trained, the best equipped, and the best led force the world has ever seen. They are focused on their mission, enduring tremendous hardships, motivated by a profound love of country and prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

"We pray for the swift and successful disarmament of Iraq with the least possible loss of life and that the end of this conflict might be the beginning of new hope for the people of Iraq.

"My views are well known on this war, but I’m not going to make any judgments about the conduct of the war except to pray for the families with loved ones who are serving in the Persian Gulf and especially for those who have lost a loved one.

"We pray for the safe return of the missing, our prisoners of war, and all of our forces into the loving arms of their families.

"We also pray for the families in Israel who over this past weekend once again lost loved ones due to another act of senseless violence. It was another reminder of the lengths to which terrorists will go, even sacrificing their own lives to kill innocent people. That kind of terrorism, of course, has no place in a civilized society. That kind of terrorism must stop.

"Our military men and women’s service reminds us that our mission here on Capitol Hill and in our country is to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.

"You come to Washington, D.C. at a time when our nation is at war in Iraq and we are engaged in the battle of the budget on Capitol Hill.

"I’ll be very frank about it. There is a large credibility gap—some might call it a chasm—between the President’s and the Republican’s lofty rhetoric and the reality of their harsh policies as demonstrated in their budget.

"The President is sending troops in battle, but the President’s and the Republicans’ budget cuts veterans benefits, including disabled veterans’ benefits.

"The President has declared a war on terrorism, but the President’s and the Republicans’ budget fails to provide local firefighters, police and medical personnel with the funding, equipment and training they need to protect our homeland.

"‘Why?’ the American people are asking, ‘why is the President giving a tax cut to the wealthiest people in our country, to those who need it the least, and at the same time asking for a supplemental to the budget to pay for the war in Iraq?’

"‘How can we be able to afford a tax cut in our budget when we can’t afford to pay for the war and its related costs in our budget?’

"I travel around the country a great deal; do you know what I hear most? You tell me if this sounds familiar, ‘Where are the Democrats?’ ‘Where were the Democrats in the last election when all this talk about tax cuts and war was there?’

"Well, I promise the Democrats in this room, as the new Leader of the House Democrats, that never again will we go into an election where people don’t know where the Democrats stand and the differences between Democrats and Republicans, and what we are willing to fight for.

"Our Democratic agenda calls for us to provide for the safety and soundness of the American people. We must keep Americans safe. In the Constitution, in the Preamble, to provide for the common defense is our first responsibility.

"Here at home, our highest priority is keeping Americans safe from the greatest threat facing our nation – the clear and present danger of terrorism.

"As we protect and defend the American people against terrorism, however, we must protect and defend the Constitution and the civil liberties that define our democracy.

"As we keep America safe, we must also keep our economy sound.

"I want to thank Rabbi Saperstein and everyone here for the great leadership in fighting the President’s disastrous economic proposals. Americans understand the clear choice - irresponsible, reckless economic policies of the Bush Administration versus responsible economic policies of the Democrats. But we must keep driving that message home.

"The Bush Administration inherited the strongest economy and squandered it; now we have turned the largest budget surpluses in a generation into the largest deficit in history. The projected Clinton budget surplus was over $5 trillion. That was 2 years ago. The projected Bush deficit, of over $2 trillion turns that amount to the tune of $7 trillion. From one President to the next, in two years, $7 trillion.

"And if $7 trillion sounds familiar to you, that is exactly the amount the stock market has lost in the past 2 years.

"The Bush Administration was handed a low unemployment rate. President Clinton in his Presidency created 22 million jobs. 22 million jobs. In the 2 years that President Bush has been President, his administration has lost 2.5 million jobs. The worst record of job creation of any President since World War II. Today 8.6 million Americans are unemployed.

"We have a Democratic economic plan that can be summed up in three words: jobs, jobs, jobs.

"Our plan is fair, fast-acting, and fiscally responsible. It invests in business and will create one million new jobs this year. The President’s plan, by the way, which puts us so far into debt, would create about 175,000 new jobs, less than the number of jobs that were lost in the month of February of 2003.

"The President believes in dynamic scoring, that means that you give it to the accountants and say, ‘if we cut these taxes, we will have less money coming into the Treasury, and it will create jobs. And if it creates jobs then more money will come into the Treasury,’ and that’s called dynamic scoring. But the Congressional Budget Office has as its head the person who until January worked at the White House and was one of the leading proponents of dynamic scoring.

"And he scored the President’s budget, and the report came out this week. And he said, ‘any positive macro economic impact of the President’s budget is not obvious.’ He also said that while there may be some plus and minus in job creation of a little bit, basically the downturn in investment will be a drag on the economy. Even the so-called dynamic scoring that the Republicans favor to justify their tax cuts, their own person who until two months ago worked at the White House called their proposal a drag on the economy and said any macro economic effect was not obvious.

"Our federal budget should be a statement of our national values. What is important to us should be what we allocate our resources to. Yet the Republican budget is anything but that. Let me ask you:

"Is it a statement of our values to cut funding for the education of our children in order to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in America? I didn’t think so.

"America’s children deserve better. Democrats are united in fighting for quality education for all our children: smaller class sizes; the best training for teachers; and renovated, modern schools.

"Is it a statement of your values to give a meager prescription drug benefit and cut nursing home care to America’s seniors while giving most of the tax breaks to those who need it least? Of course not.

"America’s seniors deserve better. Democrats are united in fighting for a meaningful and affordable prescription drug benefit for all seniors under Medicare.

"Is it a statement of your values to roll back 30 years of bipartisan environmental protections? Of course not.

"America’s environment deserves better. Our children deserve better for their future. Democrats are united in fighting to preserve our natural resources; in giving our children pure water to drink, clean air to breathe, and food that is safe to eat.

"I see there are some young people in the audience. And I just want to say to all the young people who are here how much responsibility we have to you. Many of us think that our job here is to make the future better for you. Some have said that our children are the messengers we send to the future that we will never see. We would hope that the message that they take with them is values-based; respectful of people, respectful of our environment, respectful of the beliefs of everyone in our society, and respectful of the need for opportunity for all people. In order to do that though, we have to have a budget that is a statement of our values.

"I would like to think that everything we do here is in the spirit of tikkun olam, repairing the world. Sadly, that is not the case at this time, but we’re working on it.

"The Republican budget fails to create jobs or invest in the education and healthcare initiatives that this country needs for long-term economic growth. It explodes the deficit.

"I just want you to take this with you as I finish here. The President has put forth these huge tax cuts. They didn’t work. They didn’t create jobs and so on. Instead of trying to have a better idea, they came back with more tax cuts.

"The President has a terrible budget that he sent to us, but just when you thought you had seen the worst of it, the Republicans in the House did him one better.

"So the President has this budget that would be reckless and fiscally irresponsible, with a huge deficit. And then the Republicans in the House said, oh no, we have to pay for that tax cut. Who is going to pay for it? Our children’s education, senior’s prescription drug benefits and nursing homes, veterans’ benefits including disabled veterans, as well as health care for veterans, the list goes on and on.

"So in one case, the President’s case, you have a huge budget deficit. And on the other case you have a huge social action deficit. No good choices there. Both though, point for the need for us to fight the President’s reckless and irresponsible tax cuts.

"All so President Bush can give a $1.6 trillion tax cut that ‘Leaves No Millionaire Behind.’ It is reckless. It is irresponsible. And Democrats will fight it.

"We will keep fighting for a budget that stimulates the economy, creates jobs and honors our commitment to working families, senior citizens, and veterans.

"We will also lead the fight for passing an emergency appropriations package – hopefully this week – that addresses Israel’s security needs. Democrats will insist that Israel has the tools it needs – to defeat terrorism and to work hard toward a just and lasting peace.

"I think I mentioned it two years ago, and I’ll say it again today. Because then we were ending a century and now we are just a couple years into a new century. The bright and shining star in the 20th Century from a political and governmental standpoint was the creation of the state of Israel. President Truman recognized Israel within minutes of its founding—and that was a great source of pride for our country.

"We have a special relationship with Israel. We have a common heritage. We were built by pioneers. And we were replenished over and over again by immigrants. And we have a common value in democracy.

"It also is in our national interest to support the state of Israel. Never will we abandon Israel. Never will we abandon Israel.

"Back on the home front, Democrats see an America that lives up to its principles of freedom, tolerance and respect for all people. As we support democracy abroad, we cannot forget that much of our power derives from how we practice it at home. It is the power of example that speaks louder about democracy than anything we can say.

"As I said earlier, we must protect and defend the civil liberties that define our democracy – including the constitutional separation of church and state.

"Democrats see an America that protects a woman’s freedom and dignity to make the most personal and private of decisions – her own reproductive choices. The 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade this year is an occasion both for celebration and grave concern.

"We celebrate the affirmation of this fundamental human right. But with anti-choice leaders in control of the White House and Congress, we see an unprecedented effort to overturn a woman’s right to choose.

"We must be vigilant and continue to fight for that right, and also for a broad range of reproductive options, including family planning, contraception, and healthy childbearing.

"Democrats see an America where our beauty is in the mix, where our strength is our diversity. Everyone – no matter his or her race, religion or sexual orientation – must have the opportunity to realize the American dream.

"No one should ever fear, and no American should ever have their allegiance questioned, because of his or her faith. I condemn the statements or suggestions of those who seek to place responsibility for the war in Iraq on the American-Jewish community.

"Like America itself, the Jewish community in this country, has been divided on whether to fight this war at this time. Any accusations to the contrary have no place in our public discourse.

"Yesterday, you rededicated your historic headquarters building here in Washington – the birthplace and home to so many struggles for political, economic and human justice in America in the last century.

"Today and every day, we must rededicate ourselves to that struggle by building the America we want – a safe and prosperous nation; one that has good jobs with good wages; a strong, vibrant economy; access to quality health care; quality education for America’s children, and one that protects our precious natural resources.

"We must rededicate ourselves to building the world we want – a world in which America’s unrivaled power and influence is a source of inspiration. We must use power with principle. We want a world where we lead friends and allies by example; and where our actions reinforce the ideals and values that improve lives and build peace and prosperity – freedom, democracy and human rights.

"There are grave threats to our friends in Israel and to its freedom and democracy. We must fight to help Israel defend its democracy – not only because it is in Israel’s interest, but because it is in America’s interest.

"Thank you for helping build that kind of country and that kind of world.

"God bless you.

"God bless our men and women in uniform.

"God bless the United States of America."

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi