View the President's Remarks
Listen to the President's Remarks
10:52 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you
all. Governor, thank you very much. I am here to
make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes
will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport. (Applause.)
The ticket counters will be open for
business. We will start a schedule of airplane flights that
will reflect the new and tight security concerns that all Americans
share. Ronald Reagan Airport is very important for our local
economy, but it's also a national symbol, as the Governor
mentioned. So Thursday flights will resume.
I want to thank all the Captains, and
flight attendants and maintenance folks, and ticket counter personnel,
people who make this good airport run, for your patience and
understanding.
We're doing the right
thing. We've taken our time. We can assure the
American public as best as we can, that we're taking the necessary
safety precautions. Now it's time to start flying
again. (Applause.)
I want to thank the Governor of Virginia
for his hard work and concern about the working people in this part of
the state. I want to thank Secretary Norm Mineta, the
Transportation Secretary, for working hard to bring people together, to
bring sensible policy to airports all across America. He's
been working overtime. That's what we expect from the
Secretary of Transportation during this period of time. And
I'm proud of the work he's done.
I want to thank the Mayor of Washington,
D.C. for being here. The Mayor's a good, solid
man. (Applause.) I want to thank Delegate Eleanor
Holmes Norton from Washington, D.C., for being here, as
well. (Applause.) Two United States Senators from the state
of Virginia, John Warner and George Allen, have been deeply concerned
about this airport. (Applause.) Members of the congressional
delegation, Tom Davis, Jim Moran and Frank Wolf, as well, have been
working hard with us to come up with reasonable, sound policies to get
the Reagan Airport started. I'm glad you all are here, as
well as Connie Morella from the neighboring state of Maryland.
(Applause.)
There really is no greater symbol that
America's back in business than the reopening of this
airport. (Applause.) After all, this is the
airport that brings our nation's leaders to Washington to do the
people's business. It's the airport that welcomes millions of tourists
to our Nation's Capital. And of course, the Mayor would want
me to say, we want the tourists coming back to see our great
monuments. (Applause.)
But one of the things those of us who live
in the area understand, this airport is really important for the local
economy, as well. There's a lot of people, a lot of small
business people, a lot of people who service the airport, obviously a
lot of people who work here, depend upon this airport being
open. And I understand that. And I appreciate
once again your patience and understanding, as our nation obviously is
dealing with a tragedy, the likes of which we never envisioned.
I also know full-well that the nation is
asking this question: are we taking the necessary safety
precautions as we open not only Ronald Reagan Airport, but other
airports? The answer is, you bet. We sure
are. We're spending a lot of time consulting with local
officials to make sure that the security that all of us expect is in
place. Not only have we worked with members of the Congress
to develop what we hope is a security plan that will enhance confidence
from the traveling public, but we work with local officials, as well,
to make sure this airport has got the toughest security measures
possible.
We also, as you well know, are increasing
the number of air marshals, armed marshals on
airplanes. They'll be undercover -- let me rephrase that --
they'll be wearing civilian
clothes. (Laughter.) They will blend in. But
we'll have many more air marshals on flights. It should send
two signals, one to the American public that there will be protection;
and to somebody who thinks they can disrupt America, we're watching for
you, we're paying attention to you. (Applause.)
Every person who gets on an airplane, who
goes to work, who takes their family to visit relatives, is taking a
stand against terrorism. You see, the terrorists, they want
to intimidate America. The terrorists, by conducting their
evil deeds, wanted our nation to stop. But they
underestimated our spirit, didn't they?
AUDIENCE: Yes, they did.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, they made a
mistake. And the spirit is strong in America. Our
confidence is strong. (Applause.)
We've put together a coalition of nations
that says terrorism won't stand. We've got our military
alert -- on alert for a reason: terrorism won't
stand. We're cutting off their money, because we're saying
terrorism won't stand.
And we're saying that at home, as
well. People who travel say terrorism is not going to
intimidate us. Tonight I've asked the Mayor to go out to
dinner with me, on a Washington -- here in the District. He
said he's going so long as I pay. (Laughter and
applause.) You've got a deal. (Laughter.)
When people go to ball games, they're
sending a signal. I mean, we got struck hard on September
11th. All of us know that. But you can't strike
the American spirit. It's strong, it's vibrant, it's
united. And by opening this airport, we're making yet
another statement to the terrorists: You can't win.
Thank you all for being
here. God bless you.
END 10:58 A.M. EDT
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