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CNN Live Event/Special

Bush Holds Media Availability

Aired March 19, 2002 - 15:17   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: From the White House now a cabinet meeting that got underway last hour. We do anticipate any second right now, the president did have two minutes worth of comments before that cabinet meeting talking about Dick Cheney and of course the Middle East situation.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're without a camera. Let us know, ready? Thank you all for coming. We had a very good cabinet meeting. I want to thank my members of the cabinet for discussing a variety of topics.

We heard from the secretary of state about the vice president's visit and the Zinny mission. We are making progress there. We heard from the secretary of defense about our progress in the war on terror and I appreciate his leadership and the bravery of -- our military. We talked about a lot of other issues.

One thing I want to urge the Senate to do is to pass 245-I. This bill passed the House and it now needs to pass the Senate. It is a bill which enhances our border security and at the same time it says that if someone's living here legally, they will not have to leave the country in order to stay with their family. In other words, they will not have to leave the country, apply, and then come back and be with their family.

We believe in family values. We believe good policy keeps families together and House agreed with us and the Senate ought to act. The Senate ought to get this done, particularly soon. I am going to Mexico. I want to show our friends the Mexicans that we are compassionate about people who live here on a legal basis, and we do not disrupt the families for people who are legally. So I think it is going to require some leadership in the Senate, and I look forward to seeing the Senate get this done soon. I want to thank you all for coming today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you all very much. Thank you.

HEMMER: Again, short and brief come from the cabinet meeting that convened at the White House just about an hour ago. Certainly the issue there the president imploring the Senate to pass bill that passed the House recently with regard to borders here in the U.S., and as he mentioned a trip to Mexico in the offing very soon.

Dick Cheney right now, for his part in Turkey, but he did make news earlier saying that he would meet face-to-face with Yasser Arafat if indeed the Palestinian side went ahead and implemented the Tenet Plan right now for a cease-fire.

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