For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 22, 2002
Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
March 20, 2002
Dear Mr. Speaker:
In accordance with the requirement included in Public Law 107-63,
the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
FY 2002, I hereby request $346.0 million in emergency appropriations
previously provided under title II for the Department of Agriculture
for rehabilitation and wildfire suppression activities of the Forest
Service.
I hereby designate these funds as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985. The entire amount is being designated
as an emergency requirement to make $200.0 million available
immediately to repay funds previously borrowed for emergency wildland
fire suppression activities.
Furthermore, in accordance with provisions of Public Law 107-38,
the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from and
Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States, FY 2001, I hereby
authorize a transfer from the Emergency Response Fund totaling $27.2
million to the General Services Administration.
I have previously authorized the transfer of over $19.9 billion in
response to the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001. With this action today, all the funds that were made
available to me from the Emergency Response Fund have been transferred
for urgent needs.
The details of these actions are set forth in the enclosed letter
from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I
concur with his comments and observations.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
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