July 22, 2005
Steve Palermo, Former American League Umpire

It is an honor to be able to speak on behalf of the White House concerning the Tee Ball game that will take place on the South Lawn this Sunday. Anytime that Debbie and I can spend time with the President and Mrs. Bush, it is both a great pleasure and honor.

July 20, 2005
Paul McNulty, United States Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia

I'm pleased to have this opportunity to answer questions about the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. It has been nearly four years since my office, located in Eastern Virginia, was thrust into the war against terrorism after the terrorist attacks of September 11.

July 15, 2005
Rob Portman, United States Trade Representative

Hello everyone, I'm Rob Portman, the United States Trade Representative. Since we last had the opportunity to chat in this forum the Senate passed the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and the legislation is now being considered by the House of Representatives. With more than $32 billion in two-way trade, these six countries combined represent a substantial market for American products. This is a win-win trade agreement that is a great deal for American workers, farmers and service providers.

July 14, 2005
Margaret Spellings, Education Secretary

Good afternoon. It’s great to be here today talking about education. Both President Bush and I have been talking today about the great news we received that students across the country, especially elementary school students, are making great progress in reading and math and starting to close the achievement gap.

July 13, 2005
Joel Kaplan, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Hey everybody, welcome to Ask the White House. We had some good news earlier today, as the Office of Management and Budget released updated budget projections that show this year’s deficit falling by $94 billion from what it was projected to be just a few months ago. The reason for this is that the strong economy is generating even greater revenues than we expected.

July 6, 2005
Dr. Cindy Courville, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director, African Affairs

Good morning. I look forward to taking your questions today. In addition, I look forward to traveling to Darfur, Sudan later this afternoon with Deputy Secretary of State Zoellick and I will attend the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) Forum from July 18-20 in Senegal. Let's get started.

July 1, 2005
Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Good afternoon and happy 4th of July weekend to everyone! First, before we begin, I would like to welcome everyone online with us today. On behalf of our fantastic men and women in the military, their families and Secretary Rumsfeld, I want to thank each of you for taking the time to log into Ask the White House to find out how you can show your support for our military men and women. I hope that either during this chat or shortly after everyone will take a moment to visit, www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil and thank the troops for your freedom on this, our 229th anniversary of Independence. Your support means so much to them and to their families. With that, I'm ready to get started with your questions!