Remarks prior to a meeting with congressional leaders

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Feb 17, 2003

February 11, 2003

Judicial Nominee Miguel A. Estrada

It's my pleasure to welcome members of both political parties from the House of Representatives to discuss how we can continue to make progress in welfare reform. The welfare law of 1996 made a significant difference in the lives of a lot of our fellow citizens. Our job now is to build on that progress, and I want to thank the Members for being here. I look forward to a good and fruitful discussion.

I nominated a good man named Miguel Estrada for the Circuit Court here in Washington, DC. Miguel Estrada is highly qualified, extremely intelligent. He has the votes necessary to be confirmed. Yet a handful of Democrats in the Senate are playing politics with his nomination. And it's shameful politics. This man is highly qualified, and I expect him to be nominated. And I expect him to get fairer treatment than he's getting from those who are really playing against the spirit of the United States Senate. And so I call upon fair play in the Senate, for the sake of a good, sound judiciary.

Thank you.

NOTE: The President spoke at 4:38 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Miguel A. Estrada, nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.