President Bush Meets With Women Business Leaders
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is meeting with some powerful women today. For more on that, our own powerful woman, Jeanne Meserve handling it for us from Washington -- Jeanne, good morning.</s>JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, thanks for the compliment. Another day, another tax cut event for the Bush White House, today the President trying to recruit women business owners to his cause. There are more than nine million women owned businesses in the United States. They create more than 27 1/2 million jobs. The President expected to make the case today that his tax cut plan will benefit them. He'll also talk some about education reform. But no matter what the President's agenda, 72 percent of these women who own businesses own stocks, bonds or mutual funds and it is likely they will want to talk some about the Federal Reserve, the action it might take today on interest rates and what effect that should have.</s>MURIEL SIEBERT, MURIEL SIEBERT & COMPANY: If we can tell the consumers, and most of the consumers, their jobs are very secure, there's still a shortage of good workers, and if we can give them the confidence back where they start spending money again and they're not afraid because they -- everybody has lost money in this market that's in the market, and if we can just get that consumer confidence back, our economy should be in great shape.</s>MESERVE: And the women business owners who are gathered at the White House today will be hearing from others beside the President. They will be hearing from Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, some of the women in this very diverse Bush administration. But the person who's expected to kick off the events, which you can see are just about to begin, is First Lady Laura Bush. She, of course, a big advocate for improvements in education. That may well be the focus of her remarks. But the President, as we said, expected to talk some more about tax relief. His $1.3 trillion tax cut plan is currently up on Capitol Hill. The House has passed a major portion of that. However, they still have work to do on some of the smaller components, the Senate yet to take any action as it goes through a very complicated budget process on the Hill. You can see there now the shot from the White House, the applause in motion as they wait for First Lady Laura Bush to take the stand. And here she comes. Let's go to the White House now live.</s>LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all so much.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.</s>MESERVE: President George W. Bush speaking at the White House. He touched on energy. He touched on the economic slowdown. He touched on education. But his principle plea to these women business owners was: Help me. Help me with Congress. Help me to persuade them to pass my tax cut plan. He told these women business leaders that reducing the top tax rate from 39.6 percent to 33 percent would encourage the entrepreneurial spirit. He said it would have the effect of increasing job growth. He was flanked during his remarks by female members of his Cabinet. Many of them have spoken to this group. He said they are smart, they are capable, and they are not afraid to speak their mind.