In two thousand three he signed a law to help forty million older Americans pay for their medicine.

On another issue, he banned federal funding for research on any new stem cells taken from human embryos. But he agreed to allow the first federal spending on research on existing lines of embryonic stem cells. Such cells interest some medical researchers because they can grow into different kinds of cells. But opponents object, for moral and religious reasons, to destroying embryos for the purpose of harvesting stem cells.

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George Bush promised to cut taxes for Americans. In two thousand one, he signed a bill passed by Congress calling for more than one trillion dollars in tax reductions over time. The president said the economy would improve if people had more money to spend.

President Bush speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in 2003

In two thousand three, Congress passed three hundred fifty billion dollars in additional tax reductions. That was less than half of what the president had proposed.

In two thousand two, President Bush signed a law that increased punishments for financial dishonesty by companies. The new law also established an independent group to oversee the accounting industry.

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The action came after several major companies failed, including, in two thousand one, Enron. Enron had grown into America's leading energy company.