President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate one individual to serve in his Administration: Michele M. Leonhart.

April 16, 2007, brought the deadliest day of violence on a college campus in our Nation's history. The horrific crimes committed at Virginia Tech University filled our souls with sadness. One year later, we remember the victims murdered and wounded that day.

President Bush on Monday said, "I do want to say something about trade. There's big disappointment around this table about the action the Speaker took on the Colombia free trade agreement. This free trade agreement is good for American workers and it's good for American consumers. And this free trade agreement is in our national interests. Yet that bill is dead unless the Speaker schedules a definite vote. This is a unprecedented move and it's not in our country's interest that we stiff an ally like Colombia, and that we don't encourage our goods and services to be sold overseas."

"Colombia is one of our strongest allies in the Western Hemisphere. They are led by a very strong and courageous leader, President Uribe. He's taken courageous stands to defend our shared democratic values. He has been a strong and capable partner in fighting drugs and crime and terror. And he's delivering results. The Colombian government reports that since 2002, kidnappings, terrorist attacks, and murders are all down substantially, as is violence against union members." - President George W. Bush, 4/7/08

President Bush on Monday said, "I welcome you as stars on the football field, and I welcome you as soon-to-be sailors and Marines who have a major responsibility to protect the United States from harm and spread the great blessings of liberty so we can have peace. I cannot wait to be able to say to you someday, 'I'm proud to be your Commander-in-Chief.' And so I welcome you to the Rose Garden. I congratulate you on being fine football players. More importantly, I congratulate you on being patriotic Americans."

Today the President directed the Secretary of Agriculture to draw down on the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust to meet emergency food aid needs abroad. With this action, an estimated $200 million in emergency food aid will be made available through the U.S. Agency for International Development. This additional food aid will address the impact of rising commodity prices on U.S. emergency food aid programs, and be used to meet unanticipated food aid needs in Africa and elsewhere.

Laura and I are saddened by the death of John Archibald Wheeler, one of America's greatest physicists.

President Bush on Monday said, "We're here tonight to commemorate the 265th birthday of Thomas Jefferson, here in a room where he once walked and in a home where he once lived. In this house, President Jefferson spread the word that liberty was the right of every individual. In this house, Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark off on the mission that helped make America a continental nation. ...With a single sentence, Thomas Jefferson changed the history of the world. After countless centuries when the powerful and the privileged governed as they pleased, Jefferson proclaimed as a self-evident truth that liberty was a right given to all people by an Almighty."

In his weekly radio address, President Bush said, "Since the surge began, American and Iraqi forces have made significant progress. While there's more to be done, sectarian violence, civilian deaths, and military deaths are down. Improvements in security have helped clear the way for political and economic progress. The Iraqi government has passed a budget and three major "benchmark" laws. And many economic indicators are now pointed in the right direction."

During National Crime Victims' Rights Week we highlight our dedication to protecting and strengthening the rights of crime victims and their families.

President and Mrs. George W. Bush reported taxable income of $719, 274 for the tax year 2007. This resulted in a total of $221,635 in federal income taxes paid by President and Mrs. Bush.

Vice President and Mrs. Cheney filed their federal income tax return for 2007 today.

Kameran L. Onley, Robert Kelly, John Willard Johnson, James L. Oblinger, Dina Habib Powell, Donald Edward Vermeil, Mary Beth Long, Norman R. Bobins, Joseph M. Brodecki, Michael David Epstein, Donald Etra, David M. Flaum, Andrew Hochberg, Ezra Katz, Howard Konar, Douglas R. Korn, Hadassah F. Lieberman, Pierre-Richard Prosper

Speaker Pelosi has also made clear the she is using this agreement as a political power play, saying "if you're in a conversation with someone and they have all the cards, you're not likely to have a winning hand,' Pelosi told reporters afterward. 'Now the leverage is with us.'" ("House Gives Leaders Power To Stop Fast-Track Clock," The Politico, 4/10/08)

The President and Mrs. Bush will welcome His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to our Nation’s Capital on April 15-18, 2008. This is the first visit of His Holiness to the United States since he became Pope. Pope Benedict XVI is only the second Pontiff to visit The White House. His Holiness Pope John Paul II was welcomed to The White House by President Jimmy Carter on October 6, 1979.

Today's unprecedented and unfortunate action by the House of Representatives - led by Speaker Pelosi - to change the rules governing legislation to implement our trade agreement with Colombia is damaging to our economy, our national security, and our relations with an important ally. It also undermines the trust required for any Administration to negotiate trade agreements in the future.

President Bush on Thursday said, "I want to say a word to our troops and civilians in Iraq. You've performed with incredible skill under demanding circumstances. The turnaround you have made possible in Iraq is a brilliant achievement in American history. And while this war is difficult, it is not endless. And we expect that, as conditions on the ground continue to improve, they will permit us to continue the policy of return on success. The day will come when Iraq is a capable partner of the United States. The day will come when Iraq is a stable democracy that helps fight our common enemies and promote our common interests in the Middle East. And when that day arrives, you'll come home with pride in your success, and the gratitude of your whole nation."

On Pan American Day and during Pan American Week, we underscore the importance of a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Western Hemisphere where our common values continue to strengthen friendships, advance freedom, and encourage fair trade.

Today, President Bush announced that - after detailed discussions with the Secretaries of State and Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff - he is accepting General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker's recommendations on the way ahead in Iraq. General Petraeus reported that security conditions have improved enough to withdraw all five surge brigades by the end of July. This is a 25 percent decrease of U.S. combat brigades in Iraq from the year before. General Petraeus has explained that he then will need time to consolidate his forces and assess the reduced U.S. presence on the ground before making measured recommendations on further reductions.

By the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 1006(e) of the America COMPETES Act (Public Law 110-69) (the "Act"), I hereby designate the Committee on Technology of the National Science and Technology Council to carry out the responsibilities assigned to the Council on Innovation and Competitiveness in section 1006 of the Act.