LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Maybe eight seconds away is President Bush. He's about to be introduced by Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. They are in New York. They are visiting the NYPD command center there, as you see, they've got with them, back behind them supporting them, some representatives from that fine force. Let's listen in.</s>TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR: America stood up and cheered, and our military has kept the president's promise.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.</s>HARRIS: Federal help is coming. That's President Bush's words there to those who assembled there, representatives from the police and fire departments of New York. The folks are a part of the forces known as the first responders, those who are first on the scene in the wake of any disaster, the first moments of which are the best to save lives in those situations. President Bush announcing that his budget includes $3.5 billion to be delivered to those first responders, to help them in training and give them all the supplies that they are going to need in the years to come and also in battling any biological or any other terroristic threat that happens to come this way. He also mentioned that the city and state of New York are going to be receiving lots of money. He promised New York, he says, $20 billion in the wake of September 11, and he says $20 billion is now on the way. That will go and help to shore up the infrastructure and recovery efforts on the way there in New York. He also went on to mention the liberty zone there and how Congress should include that in an economic stimulus package and pass it. That, however, does not look very likely, as we heard yesterday, that Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has taken that stimulus package off the table. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Tom Ridge, President George W. Bush Visit New York