2/12/2009

Press Gaggle
by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Peoria, Illinois

3:19 P.M. EST

Q The President had complained on the campaign trail about deals that get cut behind closed doors. Is he at all upset about the work of the conference committee or the negotiation, in general, that this didn't take place more publicly?

MR. GIBBS: I think the debate about this bill has taken place very publicly. We've all -- I've been asked about it for several weeks now. I think it's hard to imagine that people's opinions haven't been known. And I think the events of the last few days have shown that Democrats and Republicans can work together to get something done.

I think it looks as if we'll get a vote tomorrow. And I think we're on the cusp of something that's a very important first step in order to get our economy moving again. It's just one of the steps that we have to take, but it is a little more than three weeks into this administration. It will be an historic investment in creating jobs and putting people back to work, investing in many areas, like health care and energy independence, that we've neglected over the past many years. And I think it will put money into taxpayers' pockets that we think they'll spend to get the economy going.

Q During the campaign I'm pretty sure it was on your website that you said that all bills should have some kind of public comment period and they should be posted on the website for five days before the President signs it. What are you going to do about this one?

MR. GIBBS: That included non-emergency legislation.

Q Ahhh -- the waiver. (Laughter.) There was a waiver.

MR. GIBBS: It's not a waiver, it was written right there on the website. We are working out a series of procedures to ensure that -- for non-emergency legislation, that people do have five days to look at the legislation that's been passed by Congress before it's signed into law. There have been some -- we're working through the technicalities of how that happens and we'll get a process together. I know there's something up on the White House blog on this right now, or has been within the past few days.

Obviously, if we get this bill, this would certainly meet the President's test of emergency legislation. And if we're lucky enough to have it pass, we'll sign it rather quickly.

Q And I just have a question about that. What would be the point of the public only getting to look at it by the time it's been completely passed and the President is about to sign it? I mean, by then it's kind of all over.

MR. GIBBS: Mara, I'm amazed at the number of differing hurdles that --

Q I'm just curious. You know, you didn't post it while it was in progress. In other words, you're just waiting until the very end --

MR. GIBBS: Mara, people can go to the same website you go to when you read bills. There's congress.gov, there's the Library of Congress. There are any number of resources. I can only imagine that your reporting is informed by the careful examination of that very legislation throughout the process --

Q I'm just wondering why you wanted the five days in the first place.

MR. GIBBS: It's important to put out -- for people to understand -- I think we've seen instances where legislation is done quickly and it's important for people to get a look at what's in those bills. And that's why the President outlined that policy.

Q What's the President's reaction to one change in particular, the reduction of the tax relief from -- down to $400, and $800 for couples? What does he think of that both in terms of the symbolic change or the substantive change that that would have?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think -- look, he understands -- and as I said this yesterday -- that my guess is that there are 536 people that might have written any number of things slightly differently. The President campaigned on a Make Work Pay tax cut for 95 percent of working families because he thought it was important that we get money back into their pockets directly.

Obviously, though, it's important, as I said, not to make the perfect the enemy of what's absolutely necessary. And we -- though we'd rather see some provisions slightly different, the broader plan we think will save or create 3 to 4 million jobs and put people back to work. And that's the ultimate test that the President has.

And certainly we'd like to see the most tax relief we can. I think you'll see a pretty -- contained within that, one of the most progressive and largest tax cuts that go directly to working families that any Congress has ever passed.

Q Christina Romer's hypothetical, when she came up with the 3 to 4 million jobs based on a stimulus package, this one still meets her criteria?

MR. GIBBS: Absolutely.

Q When the President signs this bill once its voted on, how long will it take for the money to actually get to the pipeline?

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