Today’s Qs for O’s WH – 7/17/2009

TAPPER:  Madam Secretary, some states have passed malpractice reform, obviously.  Has — has HHS looked at what's happened in those states and seen if any of them meet these four requirements?

SEBELIUS:  That's what we're going to do.  That's the review that's going to be underway.  It's never happened before.

TAPPER:  So when you say demonstration projects, you — you don't just mean — I guess I misunderstand.

SEBELIUS:  There are two areas where states or medical system can apply for grants.  One is a planning grant that will be up to a year, up to $300,000 to look at what may work in that jurisdiction or within that medical system and put something in place.  The other is a demonstration project that could run for up to three years. At the same time, the agency for health research and quality is going to be reviewing just exactly what is out there, scientifically what — what has some evidence that it's had an impact on patient safety, on lowering costs, and share that information as we go forward.

(LATER)

TAPPER:  Do you think the White House and the president consulted with Congress and allies sufficiently on this decision?

GIBBS:  I do.  And I think that additional briefings will happen on Capitol Hill today.

PETER MAER, CBS RADIO: What allies got a heads-up on this, besides Poland and the Czech Republic, ahead of time?

GIBBS:  To my knowledge, that's the only calls that — that have been made.

MAER:  Did Russia?

TAPPER:  The Czech prime minister…

GIBBS:  Not that I know of.

REPORTER:  Israel?

GIBBS:  I — I will check, and we'll read out whatever calls the president has made.

TAPPER:  The Czech prime minister said that he got a phone call…

GIBBS:  I feel like we're doing a geography thing, so let's — let me find out, and we can — I'm sorry.

TAPPER:  The Czech prime minister said he got a phone call from the president after midnight last night.  Senator John McCain, who's the ranking Republican on Armed Services, says he doesn't know anything about this decision and he's just finding out about it through media reports.  How is that adequate consultation?

GIBBS:  I will check with the legislative and national security team to see the degree to which the decision was conveyed to members of Capitol Hill.

TAPPER:  Do you think that this — could you understand why somebody might think this was a hastily made announcement, that — that…

GIBBS:  No.  I can't, because it was a decision made several days ago by the president after a many-months review of our — of missile defense architecture to address a threat we've known about for quite some time.  This is — we've talked in here about the notion that we were assessing the way forward.

TAPPER:  To a lot of Americans, apparently including the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, this is the first time they've heard about this technology.  You don't think that there would have been…

GIBBS:  The first time they've heard of what technology?

TAPPER:  A new missile defense system, this new, more mobile…

GIBBS:  I think it's — I don't think that's — I don't think that's…

TAPPER:  …American people…

(CROSSTALK)

GIBBS:  I don't think that's accurate, because I think a lot of — some of what we're talking about is — is deployed in and around — in and around the world to address other threats.

TAPPER:  The idea — I'm talking about the idea that there's this other option of a more mobile system that can be increasingly land- and sea-based as an alternative.
  
GIBBS:  I don't think it's new technology, for the most part, but let me check, and we'll check with General Cartwright.  Again, I think what's important to understand — I keep going back to this…
  
TAPPER:  A lot of us have been covering this since — since the election, since President Obama won and the signals started being sent from Russia, and you guys started communicating.  We went with you guys to Russia.  And this idea that there's this alternative idea that would possibly be less offensive to the Russians — though I understand you're saying that's not why you're doing it — is new, is brand new.

GIBBS:  Well, I think there's — I think there are a number of different ways that you look at addressing whatever the intelligence assesses is your most important threat.  Obviously, we've talked about it in here.  The president wanted to ensure that whatever was deployed was both technologically effective and cost effective. And I think one of the benefits of this is it improves on both of those things.  We think there's a greater capability based on technology that has been improved upon and that we know has been tested and works.

TAPPER:  But just to — I'll put a period on this — you believe that the administration has — has — just — it'll be a yes or no…

GIBBS:  I did an ellipsis at the end of mine, but go ahead.

TAPPER:  You believe that the administration and the president gave enough of a heads-up to Congress…

GIBBS:  I want to check with…

TAPPER:  …US allies, and enough preparation to the American people that this decision might be made, that this — this…

GIBBS:  Yes.  Again, we've — I assume that — I don't know how much the American people watch our briefings, but it's been a question posed in here before about when the decision would come based on the president's review of our ballistic missile architecture.  So…

TAPPER:  No, no.  I'm not talking about the debate itself about missile defense.  I'm talking about this new thing.

GIBBS:  No, no, no.  No, no, no.  We've — we've talked about — we've talked about the review in here.  So I will certainly check with legislative affairs in terms of certain congressional notifications, but I don't think it's been a surprise to anybody, based on the fact that we've discussed it in here, that the review was ongoing.

-jpt