Remarks by President Trump at Prison Reform Roundtable | Eastern North Carolina Now

    And then finally, the faith-based organization. It takes a change of heart. I've been around a lot of people who are in jail, and if their hearts aren't changed, their lives will not be changed. So prison ministries - all of those things that government doesn't like to admit to that works -

    THE PRESIDENT: Right.

    GOVERNOR BRYANT: - works. And so, when we bring faith back into the prison system, prisoners have hope again. And that worked better for us than anything we could have done - another reentry program, getting them jobs, getting their driver's license, keeping them connected with their families so that they have something to work towards when they're getting out of prison.

    And I can tell you, I had to call a lot of my Republicans into the governor's office and convince them to vote for this bill. And they were worried it was soft on crime. They were hesitant about what they were going to tell their people back home. And I said, "You tell them to call me." Because crime is down 6 percent. We have 3,000 less inmates. We saved $40 million since 2014. And you can do the same thing. And, Jared, thank you for your leadership.

    KUSHNER: Thank you.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Phil.

    GOVERNOR BRYANT: Thank you, Mr. President.

    THE PRESIDENT: Secretary?

    SECRETARY ACOSTA: Mr. President, I'd like to make two key points. First, as you mentioned, the economy is doing incredibly well for the first time since we've been keeping records. We have more open jobs than we have people to fill these jobs.

    THE PRESIDENT: Right.

    SECRETARY ACOSTA: And so, these reentry programs are needed for the economy. We have jobs ready and waiting for individuals when they leave prison.

    Second, I'd like to follow up on what some of you governors have said: These programs work. As you know, and others at the table know, I was U.S. attorney in Miami. And when you talk with the law enforcement communities, what they will tell you is that these programs foster public safety. When someone leaves prison, the best that could happen for them is for them to find a job. The best that can happen for society is for them to find a job and start contributing to society, rather than go back to the old ways of crime.

    So this is very much a win-win for the individual, for the safety of the community, and for the economy of the nation. We have individuals that are going from a prison system, where the taxpayer is funding the system, to contributing members of society that are helping this economic growth.

    And so we're working with various governors. We put out a request for a proposal, and we got so many applications from various governors of programs that are very much outside the box, that - this fall, we intend to put out another request for proposals to fund another round of reentry efforts themselves.

    I want to thank the governors, and I want to thank all that are working on this issue. It's very important.

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, you've been great, and your healthcare plan is going along beautifully. That is really doing something. It's - are you surprised by the numbers you're hearing?

    SECRETARY ACOSTA: It is. Just this morning, I read an article mentioning a number of associations around the country - I believe one in Wisconsin, certainly one in Nevada - that are already forming these.

    And just today, I was talking to some of the governors here about the various activity in their states. And so it's moving very nicely.

    THE PRESIDENT: It's been great. Thank you, Alex, very much. Thank you.

    Rick. Go ahead, Rick.

    ROLLINS: Well -

    SECRETARY PERRY: Why don't you go, Brooke?

    ROLLINS: I would be - thank you so much, Mr. President. We're so happy to be here. I tell you, I am overwhelmed and so encouraged. These governors are real innovators, and they're entrepreneurs.

    And what they have done is this idea of the laboratories of democracy that, in the states, we have moved so many issues forward that now, at the federal level - which I'm so honored to become part of your team - but at the federal level, we can now see what happened in the states, what's working, what is basically lifting people to a better life - the forgotten men and women of this country.

    And having lived it, in Texas, beside these two great men for more than a decade, we've seen firsthand how this changes lives, how it gives people second chances, how it puts communities back together, and keeps families together. So thank you for the opportunity.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Good job you're doing.

    ROLLINS: I'm glad to be here.

    SECRETARY PERRY: Mr. President, thank you for bringing her onboard. I think you're seeing, on a daily basis, what a talent she is dealing with these issues that are really important.

    Two things that I want to share with the table and with you, and with the general public. And one is that it's because of those tax policies, because of regulatory policies that you pushed through, we got more people working in America than ever before. (Applause.)

    And you have to have that, because if these programs are to work when folks get out of prison, or if they don't go to prison to begin with, then that's our real goal.

    And I want to share with these governors around here, every one of them are courageous. Because I heard it when we were doing this back in Texas, in the early and mid-2000s, that, you know, "Well, Perry, we thought you were tough on crime." Nobody ever got me confused with being soft on crime. You know, I signed more execution orders than probably any governor in the history of this country. And that's a sad thing, but it's a fact.

    So I'm not soft on crime. But I like to say we were smart on crime in Texas because we put these programs into place. And young people, whose lives would be destroyed if we sent them on to prison - and that's where they really become professional criminals. And we never allowed that to happen; we gave them a second chance.

    And so, Texans now really understand if we shut down eight prisons, saving some three-plus billion dollars a year in prison costs, and conservatives look at that now and go, "That was smart on crime."

    And, Pam, that's what - that's what people will say about you, Mr. President, is, number one, you've created this climate where people can have a job and have hope for the future.

    And I'll finish with this, is that you passed that piece of legislation that does - clearly reforms the prison system. And I will suggest to you, from my perspective, that sentencing reform is part of that as well.

    And then you have the ability to show this country, and then these laboratories of innovation - you know, when Doug goes back up to North Dakota, and he's puts in, for his state, the right programs, and it's not top down, but you've sent the right message that, fellas, here's the way to reform your prison system. We're not going to be in the way. We're not going to - we're not going to be a hurdle for you, and you all figure out how to do it the rest of the way.

    And this country can be incredibly proud of what they're doing for the next generation of people to come along. And these governors are going to be a real key part of that.

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you, Rick. Very good. Thank you very much. How's it going, energy-wise, would you say?

    SECRETARY PERRY: I will tell you, I don't know how it could be much better. (Laughter.) The people around the world, we're selling LNG now into 30 countries on five continents.

    GOVERNOR EDWARDS: A lot of it (inaudible).

    SECRETARY PERRY: John, a lot out of Louisiana. Gas is headed to a lot of places.

    THE PRESIDENT: That's right.

    SECRETARY PERRY: Doug, number-two oil producer in the world - or, I should say, in the United States, only behind the state of Texas. (Laughter.)

    GOVERNOR BURGUM: We're catching you.

    SECRETARY PERRY: Yes, sir. (Laughter.) And we want you to. Come on. Give us your best shot.

    But things are going good, sir. I mean, it is a - massive jobs being created. We got an opportunity to - you know, I don't want to get us off track here, but oil and gas infrastructure, if there's one thing that we, collectively - and these governors will tell you that as well - that we'll produce it; getting it out of this country is the challenge right now.

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, we've become, as you know, number one in the world over just the last short period of time. So we've made it a lot easier, and yet environmentally perfect. Environmentally, really good.

    But we've become number one in the world, and we're now a net exporter, which nobody thought they'd ever hear. And we're doing a lot of good things for a lot of other countries too.

    So thank you very much. You've done a great job. Thank you.

    Matt.

    GOVERNOR BEVIN: Mr. President, I just want to thank you again for convening this - not just once, not just twice, but on multiple occasions. I had a chance to meet a number of folks around this table. A comment was made early on, I think by you in your introductory comments, about the fact that this is a war where people can be lined up on the same side.

    And the most powerful thing about this, and something I hope those of you in the media appreciate: I look at guys like John Bel Edwards in Louisiana. Represents a different party than I do in Kentucky, in terms of our political affiliation, but this is something that we're very much of like mind on. And I think this transcends anything political.

    And it's - and again, I tip my hat to you for not only on this issue, but on others, bringing things to the political forefront that aren't political, that have historically been ignored because they weren't political and nobody got any points politically by doing them, but that they were the right thing to do.

    And as some who have gone around this table have touched on, it isn't just the fact that it's smart on crime or that it's financially prudent - because it is all those things - but it's the right thing to do. Just the human dignity of giving people - this is a land of second chances and of opportunity to rebuild your life.

    And you are giving us, through this conversation and the kind of things you're pushing from the federal level, the encouragement from the bottom up to give millions and millions of Americans a chance at redemption. And it's, I think, the greatest gift we can offer people.

    And it's something that, again, for all the economic reasons we've just mentioned, we desperately need. These are able-bodied men and women - 95 to 97 percent of the 2 million currently in prison are going to get out. And what are they going to do? Are we going to give them a path to stay out? Or are they going to go right back in?

    And some of the things we've done in Kentucky is literally start training programs inside of the prison system. Because one of the things we do - I have two twins that are going off to college in the next couple of weeks - and every one of them, from the beginning they get to college, they have a guidance counselor that's helping them chart their path.

    I truly think it's something we need to do within our prison system, because we're spending just as much for every person in a prison system as we are for a kid in a college classroom. And why not give them a path for them personally to make sure they don't come back to this place, but that they go out and become productive, tax-paying citizens who contribute and become good mothers and fathers and community members? These are the kind of things that this will afford us the chance to do.

    And I - again, I truly appreciate this. It's something, personally, that I have a passion for. And for you and your administration - and Jared, really, kudos to you, because you have done such a stellar job of bringing this to the forefront and gathering us together. And I'm grateful to the two of you for making this possible.

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you, Matt. And I have to say, we have tremendous political support. It a little bit surprises me. I thought that - when we started this journey about a year ago, I thought we would not have a lot of political support; we would have to convince people. We have great political support. You see what's happening. People that I would least suspect are behind it 100 percent. So that's a good thing.

    Thank you all for being here. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you very much.

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