Bush Addresses Pork Expo

June 10, 2002

President Bush, speaking at the 14th annual World Pork Expo, called on Congress to make permanent the repeal of the inheritance tax. "It makes no sense to tax a person's assets twice, and it makes no sense to have a tax that drives people off the farm. For the good of American agriculture, let's make sure that the death tax is forever buried, and forever done away with," he said.

Bush also called on Congress to send him an energy bill that encourages conservation, reasonable and environmentally sound exploration, and promotion of renewable sources of energy at home so the country is less reliant on foreign sources. He identified ethanol and soy diesel as two of the domestically produced alternatives that can make an impact on this issue.

In a private meeting with members of the National Pork Producers Council Board of Directors, Bush committed to support trade, saying he understands its importance to the industry. The producers who met with the President discussed the potential for a market price crisis this fall and requested an interagency task force be appointed, involving USDA to help facilitate this effort.