White House: U.S. to announce education initiative

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- An initiative of 300 million U.S. dollars on education and a North American summit in New Orleans would be announced as President George W. Bush delivers his last State of the Union on Monday night, the White House said.

"The president has some concerns about the declining number of faith-based and parochial schools in inner cities around the country and low-income neighborhoods," said Ed Gillespie, the president's counselor.

The initiative, called "Pell Grants for Kids," would help "provide choices for children now trapped in struggling public schools," he told reporters.

According to Gillespie, President Bush will suggest a trilateral meeting among the United States, Mexico and Canada in New Orleans, the badly-hit city in the Hurricane Katrina in 2005, as a move to demonstrate "how this great American city" is rebounding.

Starting in 2005 at Waco, Texas, the North American summit has come to its fourth one this year, when it is the turn for U.S. to host the meeting again.

Long and widely criticized for widening budget deficit, Bush plans to announce his desire to reduce or eliminate about 150 federal programs, which were described by Gillespie as "wasteful or bloated."

As a topic that has dominating the president's State of the Union from the first one, Iraq issue would be heard at Congress again.

Gillespie said that Bush would try to remind legislators and the public Iraq's importance on the U.S. anti-war fronts.

Bush is set to kick off his speech at the Capitol Hill at 9 p.m. EST (1400 GMT), where he is expected to urge Democrats-dominated Congress to approve a stimulus package to save the U.S. economy from recession.

The White House and Congress has reached a deal to provide 150 billion dollars to rebate tax to 117 million families and encourage businesses to invest in new plants and equipment. However, the Senate still want to add elements, including some to boost food stamp or unemployment benefits.