Scott McClellan Quotes on Government (71 Quotes)

We want to make sure there are assurances that that food is going to those who need it, not to the government and not to the military in North Korea.

This election represents an important step toward holding fully free and fair competitive multiparty elections, and both supporters and opponents of the government have told us that it has occasioned a vigorous national debate in Egypt on important issues. We expect it will be part of a process of continuing political reforms and that the flaws that were visible in this election will be corrected for November's parliamentary election.

It's going to take some time to get the government in place, but all of us want to do what we can to assist the Iraqi people as they move forward on forming their government.

Right now we're interested in getting answers from the Nigerian government.

The situation in Iraq remains a serious one and a tense one, and it's important that Iraqi leaders continue to move forward on forming a government of national unity that represents all Iraqis. Those discussions are ongoing. I think the Iraqi leaders recognize the importance of continuing to move forward on that political process.

to make sure they were getting what they needed from the federal government.

President Bush had been briefed on the situation, which is a high priority for our government, ... The risk to the public from these samples is low. . . . Nevertheless, we do not want to take any chances.

A great thing about democracy is that it holds leaders to account. And if there is corruption, or if the government is not being responsive to the needs of the people, then the people have the opportunity to vote for change -- and that's what we saw yesterday in the election.

The Senate minority needs to stop obstructing its reauthorization. It's time for the Senate to complete their work.

We call on the Senate minority leader to stop blocking this process from moving forward so that we can get comprehensive immigration reform passed.

Unfortunately, the Senate minority leader prevented voices from being heard and amendments from being considered.

The reason we are in this situation is because we are dependent upon foreign sources of energy. The reason we are in this situation is because there has been years of inaction. This president has called on Congress to act, and that's what Congress needs to do so that we don't continue to go through this issue year after year.

But there are other areas where all levels of government fell short - the federal, the state and the local.

We're continuing to work closely with Congress. We recognize that some members have concerns. The lines of communication are open. There are a lot of conversations going on between the company and Congress and the administration.

I think it's important to look at where members started, in terms of the Senate and the House. They have come down tens of billions from where they originally started.

Maybe Senator Kerry needs to be spending more time in the United States Senate so he can refresh his memory on Senate rules. The Senate rules say you have to have the votes in order to filibuster.

The administration continues to consult with users, consumers, members of Congress, and others on steel.

The historic standard, particularly with recent nominees, has been based on qualifications. Judge Roberts clearly has far exceeded that standard, and earned broad-based support. The Senate has traditionally joined together in support of those nominees who were well-qualified to sit on the court, and avoided becoming beholden to partisan interest groups.

It is the responsibility of the Nigerian government to see that he is conveyed to the special court in Sierra Leone. We expect the government of Nigeria to fulfill this commitment.

We look forward to moving forward on initiatives that the president will outline later with members of Congress.

The formation of a unity government is a real blow to their ambitions to foment sectarian strife or civil war.

What we're doing is supporting the Iraqi leaders as they move forward on putting a government in place that represents all Iraqis.

And we've also been in contact with the government of Mexico, and asked for a thorough investigation and response from Mexico.

expressed his appreciation for the Congress moving forward on a joint, bipartisan investigation of the response to Katrina.

It's important they get the defense bill passed. We urge the Senate to get it done, and get it done now.

We will work closely with the government once it is in place --whatever government that may be.

In hindsight, when you look at this and the coverage that it's received and the false impression that is left with some, we probably should have briefed members of Congress about it sooner.

This is a top priority, and the president wants to see the Congress press ahead and get something done, in a comprehensive way.

We have seen that today has been a tough day in Iraq. We know the enemy wants to disrupt the transition to democracy and disrupt the formation of a new government. But every step of the way they have failed.

The president's position has not changed. We continue to work closely with Congress. The lines of communication are open.

They were briefed and informed. Congress has an important oversight role.

Congress has an important oversight role to play, and the leaders recognize that,

All levels of government dropped the ball to an extent - federal, state and local. The president accepts responsibility for the federal response efforts.

We stay in close contact with the government of Israel and we have officials that travel there on a fairly regular basis as well. I expect we'll be going back there in the near future, too.

This transaction was closely scrutinized. The safeguards are in place and the president believes it should be allowed to move forward. We also recognize that members of Congress want some additional information and we are glad to provide them with that information.

The president will use this meeting to discuss our desire to see Azerbaijan take needed steps to ensure democratic freedoms for the people of Azerbaijan and how we can assist the government in making needed democratic reforms. We think the meeting between the two presidents at this time will help encourage President Aliyev along the road to democracy.

The president is making very clear that we have some concerns and that we also want to see the government continue to work with the rebel groups and others to get a peace agreement.

Yet there are still some Senate Democrats that want to continue to engage in obstructionist tactics and prevent this vital legislation from being reauthorized. We hope the Senate will move ahead quickly and reject the continued obstructionist efforts.

There's no plot. We have the same conversations with the government of Israel that we have with Arab governments and European governments and others.

The primary difference between Wilma and Katrina storm preparations is a renewed effort to make coordination at all levels of government as seamless as possible. We believe responsibilities and expectations are clear at all levels.

The president's committed to continuing to work with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, and getting this done as quickly as possible,

This is something that we've briefed members of Congress on over the course of the last several years. We will continue to brief members of Congress about this vital program.

You have an Iraqi -- elected leaders of the Iraqi government that are in the process of moving forward on forming a government of national unity. It's important that they do that as quickly as possible.

It's not the president's place to weigh in on who's going to be the future leaders of Iraq. It's up to the Iraqi people to make the determinations about who they want leading their country going forward and who they want involved in their government.

Congress is working to move forward on reforms and the president is committed to working with them.

The destruction and loss of life in Pakistan is massive, and the United States is responding rapidly and robustly, ... We will continue to coordinate with the government of Pakistan to assess needs.

This would really be a road map. It will cover both the government and non-government actions that are being taken to plan and prepare for any potential pandemic.

There are still questions that have not been answered related to his involvement during that time of the hostage taking. It's incumbent on the government of Iran to answer those questions.

We've stated our views on that amendment. The House passed a different version of the Department of Defense spending legislation. The Senate included some language on that. We'll be working with congressional leaders as they move forward to pass that legislation.

We congratulate the Conservative Party and Stephen Harper on their victory. The United States and Canada have a strong and bilateral relationship, and we look forward to strengthening our relations and working with the new government.