Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Monday, November 4, 2002 Volume 38—Number 44 Pages 1865–1925 Contents Addresses and Remarks Joint Statements See also Bill Signings; Meetings With Foreign Joint United States-Japan-Republic of Korea Leaders Trilateral Statement—1867 Arizona, remarks in Phoenix—1868 Colorado, remarks in Denver—1880 Meetings With Foreign Leaders Indiana, remarks in South Bend—1898 Mexico, President Fox—1866 Judicial confirmation process—1890 New Hampshire, remarks in Portsmouth— Notices 1917 New Mexico, remarks in Alamogordo—1874 Continuation of the National Emergency With Pennsylvania, remarks in Harrisburg—1911 Respect to Sudan—1889 Radio address—1865 South Dakota, remarks in Aberdeen—1893 Proclamations West Virginia, remarks in Charleston—1906 National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Bill Signings Month—1904 National Diabetes Month—1905 Help America Vote Act of 2002 Remarks—1886 National Family Caregivers Month—1888 Statement—1888 To Implement the Andean Trade Promotion Medical Device User Fee and Modernization and Drug Eradication Act—1903 Act of 2002, statement—1874 Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Study Statements by the President Act, statement—1892 See Bill Signings Communications to Congress Supplementary Materials Sudan, national emergency Acts approved by the President—1924 Letter on continuation—1889 Letter transmitting report—1890 Checklist of White House press releases— 1924 Interviews With the News Media Digest of other White House Exchange with reporters in Los Cabos, announcements—1922 Mexico—1866 Nominations submitted to the Senate—1924 Editor’s Note: The President was in Louisville, KY, on November 1, the closing date of this issue. Releases and announcements issued by the Office of the Press Secretary but not received in time for inclusion in this issue will be printed next week. WEEKLY COMPILATION OF regulations prescribed by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10). PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Docu- ments, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Reg- The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents will be ister, National Archives and Records Administration, Washing- furnished by mail to domestic subscribers for $80.00 per year ton, DC 20408, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign subscribers for ments contains statements, messages, and other Presidential $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of Documents, materials released by the White House during the preceding Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The week. charge for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing). The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is pub- There are no restrictions on the republication of material lished pursuant to the authority contained in the Federal Reg- appearing in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ister Act (49 Stat. 500, as amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under ments. Week Ending Friday, November 1, 2002 The President’s Radio Address volume of new technologies, making delays October 26, 2002 more frequent and undermining the quality of device reviews. Under the new law, we’re America’s health care system has advan- going to speed up and improve the approval tages no other nation can match but also process. Companies that manufacture med- challenges we cannot ignore. The quality of ical devices will be required to pay a reason- American medicine is excellent. Yet too many able fee to the FDA, so the FDA can afford Americans live in communities lacking good more expert staff to conduct thorough re- clinics and basic health care. Others are views within reasonable time limits. The en- forced to wait for new medical devices that tire Nation will benefit from a faster approval are delayed in an overburdened approval of lifesaving innovations. process. And the high cost of prescription Earlier this week, I also announced action drugs is placing a heavy financial burden on to bring lower cost generic drugs to market many Americans, especially our seniors. more quickly. Right now, some brand-name This week, we are taking steps to address drug companies are using legal maneuvers all of these problems. Today I have signed to delay the approval of generic drugs, some- legislation that will expand the number of times for years. We’re setting new limits on community health centers across the country. those delays. By reducing the public’s wait Community health centers are America’s for quality generic drugs, we will reduce the health care safety net, providing prenatal cost of prescriptions in this country by more care, checkups, and preventative treatments than $3 billion each year. These savings will to anyone who walks in the door. They serve help employer health plans, State Medicaid more than a million people, mainly in remote programs, and seniors who buy medicines on areas or in inner-city neighborhoods, places their own. where too many people do not have the ac- On health care reform, we still have much cess to the quality health care they deserve. work ahead of us. I applaud the House of I have set a goal of creating 1,200 new Representatives for passing a prescription and expanded community health centers by drug benefit for seniors and for its efforts the year 2006. The bill I signed today will to fix the Nation’s badly broken medical li- help my administration achieve this goal. If ability system, which is driving up the cost Congress funds my budget request for these of medicine and driving good doctors out of important health centers, we can help an ad- the profession. I’m disappointed that the ditional 1 million Americans get health care Senate has failed to act on these important in 2003 and 4 million more by 2006. reforms. Also today I’m signing legislation that pro- With these reforms and the actions we vides faster access to safe and effective med- have taken this week, we will bring the bene- ical devices. Each year, American companies fits of our health care system into the lives are creating new technologies to save and im- of more Americans. Thank you for listening. prove lives, technologies like coronary stints and increasingly sophisticated pacemakers, NOTE: The address was recorded at 3:35 p.m. on which have helped reduce the death rate October 25 at the Bush Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October 26. The from heart disease by 35 percent since 1980. transcript was made available by the Office of the Medical devices are often very complex Press Secretary on October 25 but was embargoed and require careful testing before they’re ap- for release until the broadcast. The Office of the proved by the Food and Drug Administra- Press Secretary also released a Spanish language tion. But the FDA is overwhelmed by the transcript of this address. 1865 1866 Oct. 26 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2002 Remarks Following Discussions With border, so people can find jobs here in Mex- President Vicente Fox of Mexico and ico, for starters. That’s the long-term solu- an Exchange With Reporters in tion. Los Cabos, Mexico And the short-term solution, we’ve got to recognize that wage differentials are going October 26, 2002 to cause people to want to come to the [President Fox made opening remarks in United States. And when they come to the Spanish, and no translation was provided.] United States, we’ve got to work to make sure they’re treated with respect. And the President Bush. Vicente, thank you for issue is, how do we recognize the reality of inviting us here. This is a very beautiful part two societies with a wage differential the way of the world, and we’re so honored you’re they are? Here on the border, the wage dif- hosting this convention. ferential is narrowing—or on the border, We did have a very good discussion, but wage differential is narrowing, so the migra- I’m not surprised. After all, we’re close tion pressure tends to come from interior of friends. We discussed trade. We discussed Mexico and the south of Mexico. commerce. We did discuss migration. Ever And one of the things that the President since I have been the President and Vicente and I have discussed in the past is, how best has been the President, we have had a mu- to develop industry together in the midst of tual desire to deal with the migration issue Mexico, in the south of Mexico, so that peo- in a way that recognizes reality and in a way ple are more likely to find work at home. that treats the Mexican citizens who are in Heidi [Heidi Pryzbyla, Bloomberg News]. the United States with respect. And we will Oh, sorry. continue to work on this issue. And we did talk about world peace and North Korea Iraq. Mexico is a member of the Security Council. We discussed how to keep the world Q. A senior administration official told us peaceful, how to hold people to account, how this morning that the goal with North Korea to make sure the United Nations is effective. is to isolate them. What is your strategy for And I appreciate so very much the President doing that without winding up in the same and the Foreign Minister’s desire to consult position that we were in, in 1994, with a closely with the United States as we move failed agreement? forward to making the world more peaceful. President Bush. Well, I’m glad you asked So we’re—it’s an honor to be here.