Fw: Pool Report #2

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From: Sam Youngman <******@thehill.com>
To: Hogan, Katherine J.
Cc: Finkenbinder, Benjamin N.
Sent: Mon Apr 20 13:42:13 2009
Subject: Pool Report #2

On a second attempt at the pool spray, pool gathered at 12:30 -- led into Cabinet Room at 1:18.

Sec. of State Clinton to POTUS's immediate right and Def. Sec. Gates to immediate left. VPOTUS Biden directly across.

Waiting on a seating chart but others in the room who aren't cabinet include COS Rahm Emanuel (at the table) and Senior Adviser David Axelrod (seated behind).

POTUS announced he just had his "first official cabinet meeting," noting the absence of HHS nominee Kathleen Sebelius said that "one future cabinet member is missing but everyone else is present and accounted for."

POTUS talked about the "unprecedented economic crisis" and how "as a consequence we've had to spend an (audio cut-out, transcript coming) lot of money."

"That was the right thing to do and the necessary thing to do," POTUS said.

Applauded the cuts and elmination of efficiencies taken thus far by his cabinet, among those signled out: POTUS noted Gates's "historic budget," and he promised his administration "will follow-up with additional procurement reforms."

Others like VA, USDA and DHS have already taken a number of steps to "consolidate, streamline and improve."

POTUS said that while he is grateful for cabinet members' work thus far, he wants to see more.

"As well as you've already done, you're going to have to do more," he said. Need to cut $100 million and "at least 100 current programs in the federal budget."

"So I'm very pleased about the work that we've done, but we've got more to do," he said.

POTUS was asked if today's proposed cuts were really just "a drop in the bucket."

"It is, and that's what I just said," he said. "None of these things alone are going to make a difference. But cumulatively that make an extraordinary difference because they start to set a new tone. And so what we're gonna do line by line and page by page, $100 million here, $100 million there, pretty soon even in Washington, it adds up to real money."

Pool was ushered out at 1:24.



Sam Youngman
White House correspondent
The Hill
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