Remarks at the Congressional Picnic

The President. Thank you all for coming. Laura and I welcome you to the South Lawn. This is an opportunity to thank the Members of Congress and their families for serving the United States.

First, I want to recognize the Speaker. Madam Speaker, thank you for joining us. It means a lot that you've come. I appreciate the leadership of the House and the Senate who've joined us. For all the wives and husbands, thank you for standing by your spouse. It's not easy to be in public office. It's a lot easier, though, when you have somebody who loves you to help you do your job. And so Laura and I want to thank you all, in particular. We're proud to be serving with you. Occasionally, we might have our differences, but one thing we all agree on is, we represent the greatest country on the face of the Earth.

I want to thank our chef, Paul Prudhomme, from New Orleans, Louisiana—one of the great chefs in America. Thanks for coming, Paul. I thank Tony Snow and his bunch of, well, mediocre musicians—[laughter]—no, great musicians. Beats Workin', thanks for coming. Kermit, come up here. Kermit, we're proud to have you.

Kermit Ruffins. Well, thanks for having us.

The President. Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, right out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Yes, sir.

Mr. Ruffins. Thank you. Thanks for having us. We're glad to be here. Thank you, sir.

The President. Proud you're here. Thanks for coming.

You all enjoy yourself. Make sure you pick up all the trash after it's over. [Laughter]

God bless you, and may God bless America. Thanks for coming.