Robert Gibbs

“ But let me ask -- is it transparent to say that tax increases are part of savings? And is it transparent to say that we're going to be saving that much from Iraq when nobody expects that 10 years out we would be spending what we're spending today in Iraq? Even the previous administration agreed to get out of Iraq by 2012. And that's the baseline you're culling savings from. ”

“ I would note that the President announced on Saturday the tax cuts will soon move out in people's paychecks. I think Housing and Urban Development moved a good chunk of the money that's involved for them just today. Energy is working to do the same.
The President announced just a few days ago with the governors in town, a big chunk of money relating to Medicaid and health care to ensure that they're not having to make drastic cuts that will hurt the people that, because of this economic downturn, need that health care and need that supportive safety net the most. ”

“ Again, revenue that comes in or doesn't go out, I certainly -- I think both whether it's a family sitting around a kitchen table doing a budget or the federal government doing a baseline budget for many years in advance, I think when you're not spending money and your budget deficit goes down, that certainly counts for a decrease in that deficit.
[REPORTER] : Does a tax increase count as savings? ”

“ I don't -- I mean, yes, if one person determined the ultimate outcome of all things health care, relating to everything that Democrats, Republicans, business, labor, doctors and providers were doing, yes, we'd wait. But I think there is a -- I think it's pretty easy to assume that there isn't one person alone that would meet all of those criteria.
That's why planning goes forward, both in this building -- you'll see details come forward in the President's budget denoting his commitment to health care reform, as you've seen in the Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. ”

“ Obviously a big part of his budget savings is drawing down troops in Iraq. But, stating the obvious, pouring troops into Afghanistan -- 17, it could be 30, it could be more, you don't know what's going to happen in Afghanistan and what's going to be required. How can you be so sure that the tradeoff between Iraq and Afghanistan is going to be a huge savings. ”

“ Because that's the part of our planet that is exceedingly dangerous, and saw on September 11th the root cause of attacks that resulted in the death of more than 3,000 Americans -- the deadliest attack on American soul. ”

“ Well, let me say I think you've been told and others have been told on the record that the President has not made a final decision about our force structure in Iraq going forward. I don't think it would be a surprise to anybody, though, in this room to know that the President, since his first full day in office, has been working toward a solution that would responsibly draw down our troops in Iraq, give more responsibility for governing and security to the Iraqi people, and to do so in a way that protects our brave men and women in uniform. ”

“ You know, I'm always struck by people that are in and around the budgetary process for a number of years relating to spending in the federal government that suddenly discover we've added $5 trillion to our bar tab. ”

“ But he understands the only way to do that is to bring together stakeholders on both sides of the aisle -- business and labor, doctors/providers. That process will begin next week here to discuss health care reform.
I know there are different proposals on Capitol Hill regarding energy legislation, including cap and trade. And there will be elements both in the budget and forthcoming after the budget in terms of legislation to deal with some reforms in our public education system. ”

“ The President has always talked about ensuring that we must do whatever is necessary to stabilize our financial system. That was the charge that he was given in this election and that he and his economic team have undertaken each day. ”

“ I think the President thinks that, as he said in his speech, and particularly, in the conclusion, that though we may disagree on individual issues, and we may not agree -- and certainly haven't agreed on everything up until this point, that our charge by the American people is to work together for that common good. ”

“ I want to go to -- from the speech last night, there were some generalities that I was wondering if you had the details on, and has to do with spending cuts. He had said that you had identified $2 trillion over 10 years, so $200 billion, I assume, in spending cuts that are coming for programs that you thought -- savings that you thought you had found. I assume we will hear some of those. But you also said you identified specific education programs, agribusiness. Can you name three or four of these programs that you've identified? ”

“ You just said a moment ago, Robert, there's great concern in this building about earmarks. A couple of Cabinet secretaries in their previous life as members of Congress have earmarks in the pending omnibus legislation -- Congressman Solis and Congressman LaHood -- now they're Cabinet secretaries. Would the President be open to at least encouraging them, in the spirit of taking on earmarks directly, to withdraw those requests for those earmarks in the legislation? ”

“ Well, I think the President will come up with what he believes is an honest number that accounts for, as best he and the team can come up with, an overall spending number for our overseas commitments in both Iraq and Afghanistan. ”

“ There was just a -- I assume their hands were not unlike mine, saying, well, there's no accounting for it in the budget. I think that was -- would not have met the President's commitment to open and honest budgeting.
[REPORTER] : Quick one. Will the White House still have supervisory interest in the census under Governor Locke if he's confirmed as Commerce Secretary?
GIBBS: Who oversees the census wouldn't -- won't change with who that person is. The director of the census always would report to the Secretary of Commerce. ”

“ The meeting of the electoral college in December conferred upon the President-elect a four-year term in which he's -- when I hear back somewhere in the 36th or 37th day of that four-year term -- and I think he was mentioning that four-year term.
[REPORTER] : But he was saying "my first term," which seems to suggest he's thinking about a second term. ”

“ Robert, you talk about honest and transparent budgeting and I wanted to come back to Chuck's question about the $2 trillion figure that the President used last night of savings over the next 10 years. We were told last night that that basically referred to two things. One is the expiration of the tax cuts on the wealthy that would happen next year. And two is a reduction of what we are currently spending in Iraq --
GIBBS: I think that's a -- I think that's certainly a decent part of it. ”