Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Bush Administration Faces Both Domestic and International Issues

Aired April 30, 2001 - 09:06   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, a team from the United States is headed to China today to inspect the Navy surveillance plane that's down on Hainan Island. The Bush administration says China's decision to allow U.S. access to the plane is a positive step.

CNN White House correspondent Major Garrett joins us now live from the White House -- Major, good morning. Any concern that plane may have been tampered with?

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is some concern, Kyra. United States officials have made it clear in their conversations with the 24 crewmembers that most of the sensitive data and the highly sensitive data on that EP-3 surveillance plane was disabled or dealt with, according to the procedures the crew was supposed to follow.

But, in that frantic effort to land the plane safely after it was disabled in that midair collision, not all of the data was, in fact, scrambled, and they have -- U.S. officials do believe that the Chinese may have, in fact, acquired some of the sensitive security information on that plane. Just exactly how much -- well, the Pentagon doesn't know for sure.

One thing that this Pentagon crew is going to do once it arrive in Hainan Island, expected to be some time tomorrow, is find out exactly how difficult it is going to be to get that crippled aircraft on a barge. It may require bringing in a crane, maybe hiring some personnel on the island.

The United States government has said it will pay whatever costs are associated with recovering the plane, but Vice President Dick Cheney made it very clear yesterday that whatever payment will be involved will simply be to recover the craft and in no way compensate the Chinese government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's a positive sign. This is something we've been working on, obviously, was recovery of the aircraft, and the fact they're willing to let Americans come in now and inspect the aircraft and begin to make arrangements to bring it out, I think, is a positive sign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Now it's quite likely the two governments are going to disagree on this question of a payment. State-run media in China is already describing it as a payment to the Chinese government, saying the United States is discussing making a payment to the Chinese, but Mr. Cheney and other U.S. officials have made it all too clear that that is not a payment to the Chinese government, simply a means of paying for whatever it costs to get that plane safely back to the United States -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Major, there was a lot talk about the president's first hundred days in office. The critics came out and said there were areas of improvement. Others said he's been doing a great job. What's next? What will he be working on?

GARRETT: Well, you know, this whole question of 100 days is something that the White House has had to deal with because the media's been so curious about it.

Internally, the White House plan has really been built around a 180-day schedule. That's because of the shortened transition because of the prolonged debate and legal dispute over the presidential election. It shortened the transition. So the Bush White House has actually been looking at a calendar of 180 days.

But there's a lot that's going to happen this week that's going to determine how successful the early period of the Bush presidency be. Negotiations are supposed to conclude this week between the House and the Senate on the president's all-important budget resolution.

That's going to set the tax number. The president originally wanted $1.6 trillion, as you'll recall. He's trying to get out of the Senate and House something close to $1.4 trillion. Negotiations going on. There may be a resolution of that very early this week.

He also delivers a key speech tomorrow about national missile defense. And there's also negotiations going on with the Senate about his education proposal, which is also running into some trouble in the House.

So the work continues, much of it on domestic policy but also on international fronts as well -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Major Garrett live from the White House. Thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com