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CNN Live At Daybreak
America's New War: Economic Crisis is Challenge for Congress
Aired September 21, 2001 - 08:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Time now to head back to Washington, where John is standing by -- good morning again.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again to you, Paula.
This economic crisis you have talking about is one of the urgent challenges the president laid out last night in his speech to the Congress, promising the federal government will do all it can to help the economy in the wake of these terrorist attacks. And, of course, the economy was already struggling to begin with.
Let's check in now on Capitol Hill live with us this morning, Congressman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. He is the chairman of the House Republican Conference.
Sir, you were just listening to those reports. A depressing economic outlook from across the country: hotel occupancy down; Americans afraid to fly right now. Congress is about to act on a multi-billion dollar airline bail out.
What next, Sir? What specifically should and will the Congress do to try to give the economy a bit of a jolt here?
REP. J.C. WATTS (R), OKLAHOMA: Well, John, I think we need to look at everything that's available to us in trying to expand the economy and trying to strengthen it, trying to bring back consumer confidence. And I think for all of us to contribute to the economy, I would encourage all of us men to be out there attending those football games, participating in commerce, utilizing the airline system. That part of our infrastructure is very important to our transportation system. And I would hope that we would not allow the terrorists to win and not utilize what's available to us.
So obviously, as you said, as we saw in those numbers, consumer confidence is down. We understand that. But you will see us continue to focus on things that we can do to try and get dollars into the system.
KING: Let's turn, Sir, now to the president's speech last night. He delivered a blunt ultimatum to the Taliban: Turn over Osama bin Laden and his associates, allow the United States access to those terrorist camps, or else, the president said. The Taliban this morning says, no. Did the president leave himself in a position where, in your view, is he now under extraordinary pressure to act immediately or very soon to deal with this?
WATTS: Well, John, I would encourage the president. I think the president and his team would say to you that we're going to act responsibly. We're going to act out of wisdom. We're not going to act out of emotion. And I think the president did say last night that they would use every means necessary -- every means available to them. They would try to obstruct the economic network of the terrorists. They would use diplomacy. They would build an alliance. They would use military.
So I think the president was right in saying, let's use every means available to us to bring these evil and poison people to justice.
KING: A cultural question, if you will, Congressman. The president, in his speech last night, noted Osama bin Laden is under indictment in this country for the embassy bombings in Africa back in 1998, for links -- alleged links to the USS Cole bombing. Yet only after horror here at home in the United States does the United States seem to be rallying the political support to do something about it.
Does that tell us something about our country that if these things happen overseas perhaps we don't care about them enough?
WATTS: Well, and, John, that's why I think the American people will stick with us. And I think in the minds of the American people -- although we lost U.S. lives overseas in the minds of the American people, they understand this was on U.S. soil against American citizens. I think that's very critical to keep in mind.
And secondly, I commend the president for appointing Governor Ridge to this new homeland terrorism position. I proposed over a year ago that the General Accounting Office do a study on homeland terrorism. We've got over 40 different agencies and departments that have some say in terrorism. It needs to be coordinated. It needs to be a -- there needs to be a plan that everybody can rally around.
Governor Ridge has a tough job, but he needs to have cross- jurisdictional authority to walk in and out of these communities or these committees to put together a plan so that we can continue to respond effectively to terrorism.
KING: Congressman J.C. Watts, a member of the Armed Services Committee, chairman of the House Republican Conference and a former top-notch college quarterback urging Americans to go out to those football games. Thank you very much for your time this morning, sir.
WATTS: Thank you.
KING: We'll continue to check in in the days and weeks ahead.
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