For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 27, 2002
Statement by the President
Today I have signed into law H.R. 4628, the "intelligence
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003," which authorizes
appropriations to fund United States intelligence activities, including
activities essential to success in the war against global terrorism.
This Act also establishes the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Upon the United States to examine and report on the facts and causes
relating to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Commission will
build upon the work of the congressional joint inquiries to carefully
examine the circumstances surrounding the attacks and the lessons to be
learned from them. I expect that the Commission's final report will
contain important recommendations for steps that can be taken to
improve our preparedness for and response to terrorist attacks in the
future.
The executive branch shall implement sections 325, 334, and 826 of
the Act, and section 8H(g)(1)(A) of the Inspector General Act of 1978
as enacted by section 825 of the Act, relating to submission of
recommendations to the Congress, in a manner consistent with the
President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive
branch.
Many provisions of the Act, including section 342 and title VIII,
establish new requirements for the executive branch to disclose
sensitive information. As I have noted in signing last year's
Intelligence Authorization Act and other similar legislation, the
executive branch shall construe such provisions in a manner consistent
with the President's constitutional authority to withhold information
the disclosure of which could impair foreign relations, the national
security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the
performance of the Executive's constitutional duties.
The executive branch shall construe subsections 501(d) and (e),
relating to the number and activities of military personnel deployed
abroad, in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional
authority as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
November 27, 2002.
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