MS. PERINO: Let me start off just with a couple of comments about the President welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to America today. Tomorrow in his remarks, the President will say to the Holy Father that millions of Americans have been praying for his visit. He will also say to the Holy Father that the nation he will visit is a nation of prayer that welcomes the faithful. He will tell him that the hearts of the American people are open to the Holy Father's message of hope. And he will hear from the President that America and the world need to hear his message that God is love, that human life is sacred, that we all must be guided by common moral law, and that we have responsibilities to care for our brothers and sisters in need at home and across the world.

MS. PERINO: The President this morning spent time in his Cabinet meeting talking about his ongoing concern about people who are suffering in the world, especially when it comes to those that are hungry. The United States is the largest food provider for emergency food needed in the world. In fiscal year 2007 we provided more than $2.1 billion of food aid, reaching tens of millions of people worldwide. We usually provide about 45 to 50 percent of all emergency food aid every year.

MS. PERINO: Hello, everybody. I said earlier today I would try to get you details on the logistics for tomorrow, and I have. It's quite simple -- the President will make remarks at 11:30 a.m. at the -- in the Cross Hall. We'll do expanded press pool.

MS. PERINO: Here at the White House today, obviously we're paying attention to the General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker testimony. And the President said that he would try, if possible, to watch a bit of it in between his appointments today. He has quite a full schedule. And so we'll give you more information about that in a little bit.

MR. FRATTO: Good afternoon, everyone. You saw the President's remarks earlier -- about an hour ago -- announcing that he was sending up a Colombia trade promotion agreement, or the pre-trade agreement to Congress, signing the transmittal documents for that today. We invited the President's Trade Representative, Sue Schwab, here with you today.

MS. PERINO: Hello. I have one scheduling update for you. Well, actually -- I'm sorry -- two. Tomorrow, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley will do an on-camera briefing at 3:15 p.m. on the President's upcoming trip to Ukraine, Romania and Croatia. Again, that's tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. So that will be our on-camera briefing tomorrow.

MS. PERINO: Hello. As you know, we have the Easter Egg Roll going on, on the South Lawn at the moment. And then this morning I told you President Bush met with his National Security Council, including General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, who beamed in from Baghdad, regarding Iraq and their upcoming testimony in the way forward. He will be getting additional briefings on Wednesday, at the Pentagon, from the Joint Chiefs and Secretary Gates, among others. And that is all in the lead up to April 8th and 9th, when Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus will provide Congress an update on Iraq.

MS. PERINO: It's one of those days I have nothing to start with.

MS. PERINO: Okay, a couple of announcements. As you may have seen, there is severe weather hampering the middle part of the country -- hammering the middle part of the country, I should say. The administration continues to monitor the severe weather in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and Texas. And FEMA has activated regional response coordination centers and it has liaisons working with the affected states.

MS. PERINO: I don't have anything to start with, so I can go straight to questions.

MR. FRATTO: Good afternoon, everyone. I have just a couple of quick announcements, and then we can get to questions. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee this morning voted out legislation to reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. That's the PEPFAR program. The President, on his trip to Africa a few weeks ago, talked extensively of this program. We commend the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for moving this bill quickly, and certainly want to see it enacted into law so the President can sign it. This is a wonderful program where American tax dollars and American ingenuity in how we designed this program are saving lots of lives in places like Africa and other PEPFAR focused countries. So we certainly want to see this move quickly.

MS. PERINO: Hi. A couple of announcements. President Bush has asked Secretary Rice and Secretary Gates to travel to Moscow on March 17th and 18th for two-plus-two consultations with their Russian counterparts. The Secretaries held similar consultations with those individuals back in October -- October 12, 2007. And as in October, the agenda will cover a broad range of bilateral, strategic issues, including missile defense, post START arrangements, cooperation on nonproliferation, as well as counterterrorism.

MS. PERINO: A quick readout. The President and Prime Minister Tusk discussed defense issues this morning, including missile defense, air defenses there in Poland, Iraq and Afghanistan. And the President reiterated the United States' commitment to Polish security as a friend and NATO ally, and they discussed concrete cooperation in this regard.

MS. PERINO: Good afternoon. I have one scheduling announcement for you for next Friday: The President will travel to New York City, where he will make remarks on the economy to the New York Economic Club; so we give you that update.

MS. PERINO: Hello. Just a few -- couple of announcements for you. Today USA Freedom Corps launched the Financial Literacy Volunteer Initiative, to mobilize volunteers who can help homeowners improve their financial literacy and avoid foreclosure in the wake of America's transitioning housing market. The new initiative provides tools and resources for Americans who are interested in sharing their financial services, nonprofits in need of skilled volunteers, and homeowners who are seeking financial guidance. And more information can be found at their website, at volunteer.gov.

MS. PERINO: Hello, welcome everybody. One quick note about the Middle East peace process. The Israelis and the Palestinians have said that they will return to talks, and we are encouraged by this development. We know there's a lot more work that needs to be done, but the President is pleased that Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas are not going to be deterred from the potential to achieve peace and security by establishing a framework for what a Palestinian state would look like before the end of his term.

MS. PERINO: Hi. Sorry getting started late, but you had the President making comments and they had to feed the tape back. Not a lot of people here. Since you had the President, I'll take any questions you have.

MS. PERINO: Two statements for you. Today we learned that William F. Buckley has passed away and that has saddened everyone here at the White House. Mr. Buckley was a longtime friend of the Bush family. I informed the President of Mr. Buckley's death at 11:45 a.m., while the President was in the Oval Office.

MS. PERINO: Hello, everybody. A couple of announcements. One, the statement on housing, just an update. As the housing market continues to transition, President Bush is helping responsible homeowners across America through a series of targeted actions. This past fall, you may remember, he announced the creation of FHASecure, which is a program giving HUD's Federal Housing Administration greater flexibility to help Americans by offering more home mortgage financing and also refinancing options for people who need it.

MS. PERINO: Hello. A couple of announcements. One thing, earlier today the Treasury Department issued sanctions against some elements of the regime in Burma. And the President will have a statement about that after this. I won't read it for you here because it's quite long -- I'll spare you that -- but it will be released soon.