For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 14, 2003
Statement on H.R. 2474
Statement by the President
Today I am signing into law H.R. 2474, which would permit the
Congressional Hunger Center to spend up to $3 million in funds
appropriated for each of fiscal years 2003 and 2004 to provide Bill
Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Fellowships.
Upon signing the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 on
May 13, 2002, I stated that the method of appointing members to the
Board of Trustees for the Hunger Fellowship Program runs afoul of the
Appointments Clause of the Constitution. The current legislation does
not adequately address this constitutional problem, in that it simply
provides that the Hunger Fellowship Program will be administered for 2
years by a private, nonprofit corporation, the Congressional Hunger
Center. Again, I remain prepared to work with the Congress on
legislation that will provide a long-term solution for this
constitutional infirmity. To avoid any constitutional concerns
stemming from the provision of funds to the Congressional Hunger
Center, I instruct the head of the department to whose agency these
funds are appropriated to treat the money as a grant and ensure the
Center's compliance with the terms of its grant.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
July 14, 2003.
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