Fact Sheet: A Day in Cleveland: President Bush Calls on Congress to Act to Fund Vital Priorities

President Bush Discusses Energy, The Economy, Health Care, And Iraq In

Cleveland, Ohio

Today, President Bush Visited Cleveland, Ohio, And Called On Congress To Meet Its Responsibilities And Pass The Individual Spending Bills Needed To Keep The Federal Government Running. In the morning, President Bush toured GrafTech International, Ltd., and discussed the importance of investing in alternative energy research to reduce America's dependence on oil. He then had lunch with Cleveland business and community leaders at Slyman's Restaurant. In the afternoon, President Bush discussed his health care initiatives at the Cleveland Clinic. Later, he made remarks to the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the largest private-sector economic development organization in Ohio.

• Congress Is Leaving Vital Priorities Unfunded. At their current pace, the President will not see any of the 12 must-pass bills before Congress leaves Washington for the month-long August recess. The fiscal year ends September 30th, and Congress must step forward now to pass these bills one at a time.

As Part Of His "Twenty In Ten" Plan, The President Is Asking Congress To Take A Bolder Approach To Strengthen America's Energy Security And Confront Climate Change

This Morning, During A Visit to GrafTech International, President Bush Discussed His "Twenty In Ten" Plan To Reduce U.S. Gasoline Consumption. GrafTech is a leader in manufacturing components for fuel cells, devices that directly convert chemical energy in hydrogen to electricity, with pure water and potentially useful heat as the only byproducts. This type of technology will help promote the use of hydrogen fuel and alternative fuels that are at the core of the President's "Twenty in Ten" plan to reduce projected U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next ten years

• The President Believes The Federal Government Should Foster Investment And Innovation In Alternative Technologies To Reduce America's Dependence On Oil And Decrease Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Including the 2008 Budget, the Administration will have invested $15 billion to develop advanced energy sources since 2001.
• In 2006, The Energy Department Awarded A $2.3 Million Grant To GrafTech And Partner Businesses To Develop The Next Generation Of Fuel Cells.

The President Is Asking Congress To Develop An Aggressive Alternative Fuel Standard And Improve Fuel Efficiency Standards Through CAFE Reform. The Senate passed an energy bill at the end of June that includes some of the President's "Twenty in Ten" ideas, but they need improvement. The House of Representatives is considering energy legislation in July, and the President urges them to include his "Twenty in Ten" proposals:

• A Broad And Bold Alternative Fuel Standard: The AFS would require the use of the equivalent of 35 billion gallons of renewable and other alternative fuels in 2017 with the goal of reducing projected gasoline use by 15 percent.
• Flexible CAFE Reform: CAFE reform would give the Secretary of Transportation flexible authority to increase current fuel efficiency standards for cars and would extend the current rule for light trucks with the goal of reducing projected gasoline use by up to 5 percent.

We Also Need Legislation That Will Increase Domestic Production Of Oil And Gas, Increase Refinery Capacity, And Expand Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Which Is Our Energy Supply Insurance Policy.

The President Urges Congress To Work To Complete Spending Bills Independently And On Time

In The Afternoon, President Bush Had Lunch With Business And Community Leaders At Slyman's Restaurant. Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 132,000 new jobs were created in June, the 46th straight month of job creation. Despite numerous challenges, including a recession, corporate scandals, the 9/11 attacks, and the demands of the War on Terror, our economy has recovered and has added more than 8.2 million new jobs since August 2003.

• Strong Economic Growth Has Helped Produce Record Levels Of Tax Revenue, Which Are Helping Reduce The Federal Deficit And Meet The President's Goal Of A Balanced Budget. President Bush's FY 2008 budget lays out a detailed plan to balance the budget by 2012 while keeping taxes low. In contrast, the Democrats' budget includes $205 billion in new spending over five years and the largest tax increase in history.
• The President Urges Democrats in Congress To Step Forward Now And Pass The Individual Spending Bills Needed To Keep The Federal Government Running.

• Democrats Must Restrain Spending So We Can Sustain Our Growing Economy And Balance The Budget. Democratic leaders in Congress are working to bring back the failed tax-and-spend policies of the past, but the President will veto any attempt to take America down that road.

The President Calls On Congress To Make Basic Private Health Insurance More Affordable By Reforming The Tax Code

During A Visit To Cleveland Clinic, The President Discussed The Importance Of Empowering Consumers With Information And Using Technology To Improve Health Care. The Cleveland Clinic has a number of programs to provide consumers with better information about the value of their health care services, including publishing annual reports on patient outcomes and using information technology to provide doctors and patients access to complete medical records online.

• In 2004, The Clinic Received Federal Grants Totaling $3 Million From The U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services (HHS) To Study How Adoption Of Health IT Can Reduce Medical Errors And Improve Chronic Disease Management.

• The Administration Is Implementing Policies To Ensure Americans Are Able To Obtain Easy-To-Understand Information About The Price And Quality Of Health Care.

  * The Hospital Compare website run by the Department of Health and Human Services (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov) and other initiatives are helping give Medicare beneficiaries the ability to compare costs and results between hospitals.
  
  * Beginning last month, HHS made publicly available two new ways to measure the mortality rate for Medicare cardiac patients.
  
  * The Administration continues working to expand the use of electronic health records, which will help reduce costs and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of medical services.

  America Has Reached A Decisive Moment In The Debate Over Health Care. Instead of encouraging people to drop private coverage for government programs, the President believes we should work to make basic private health insurance affordable for all Americans. The best way to do this is by reforming the tax code to level the playing field so those who buy health insurance on their own get the same tax advantage as those who get health insurance through their jobs.