The Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute (APAWLI)
Friday, January 25, 2002

Good morning.

     I want to thank Martha Lee for her kind introduction, and for making today possible. It is an honor and a pleasure to be back with such a vital group, one that has a strong history of supporting and inspiring Asian Pacific women. Your continued good work is a credit of each of you, and APAWI will always have my deep respect.

     I am also so proud that two outstanding Asian Americans, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta are leading the charge in the aftermath of September 11th. President Bush could not have made two better choices! Secretary Chao, as the first Asian American woman to hold a Cabinet position, is effectively responding to disaster-related layoffs through National Emergency Grants, which provide funds to states to help dislocated workers train for new jobs and get back in the labor force. In certain cases the money can be used to pay the rent, a mortgage, or childcare. Secretary Chao believes so much in the American worker. As an immigrant, she has seen firsthand how hard work has made America the country it is today. And I truly believe she is making this country an even better place. Did you know that Secretary Chao has done better than any other member of the President's Cabinet in bringing women and Asians into the Administration? 50% of our PASs - those political appointees who need Senate confirmation - are women! This is a record!

     And Secretary Mineta is working to make air travel safer - step by step. This is not an easy task. Just last week, new regulations went into effect requiring the majority of major airports to scan every piece of luggage. The new screening procedures and the presence of marshals all to go toward making the skies safer. What really gives me comfort, though, is the knowledge that not only is safety a goal, but so is making air travel and other forms of transportation better. Secretary Mineta is indeed working hard to reach the high goals the President has set for him.

     Lofty goals are always something to aspire to - in fact, I recently had the pleasure of attending a very inspiring Leadership Conference designed to help the Department of Labor meet some quite remarkable goals. Secretary Elaine Chao brought together some very important leaders - people like Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, Chief of Staff Andy Card, OMB Director Mitch Daniels - to inform us and guide us. We learned about effective communication techniques, and how the Government Performance and Results Act is working to link performance to direct results. The Women's Bureau will be striving to do just that over the next several months - link our performance to direct results!

     I'm so excited about that challenge, because I agree with the President. And the President feels that the government likes to begin things - like new programs and new causes. But he also knows that good beginnings are not the measure of success: what matters in the end is completion.

     As the Secretary often points out, we are now waging a war against the recession that really is part of our war against terrorism. This means that our economy in some ways resembles a wartime economy. And that requires wartime measures: speed, resolve, commitment - and pushing the levers of government as far as they can go to help those who need it. That is the commitment that Secretary Chao has made, and one that I would like to make to you today.

     I am as confident as she is that we will indeed win both wars. After all, we have already shown our ability to pull together and work together. Each of us has a role to play - as Asian Americans, as mothers, as businesswomen, as community leaders. By striving to fulfill each role to the best of our ability, we will be part of the solution. We have come so far - who can doubt that if we put ourselves to the test, we can come even farther. With your help, I know we can. Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you, and God bless America.