For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 1, 2003
Statement by the President
Today, I have signed into Law H.R. 2555, the "Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2004." This is the first regular
appropriations act for the Department of Homeland Security.
The executive branch shall construe as calling solely for
notification the provisions of the Act that purport to require
congressional committee approval for the execution of a law. Any other
construction would be inconsistent with the principles enunciated by
the Supreme Court of the United States in 1983 in INS v. Chadha. Such
provisions include the purported approval requirements in the
appropriations for expenses for the development of the United States
Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology project; customs and
border protection automated systems; immigration and customs
enforcement automated systems; operations, maintenance, and procurement
of marine vessels, aircraft, and other related equipment of the air and
marine program; expenses of the United States Secret Service; and also
in sections 504, 511, and 516. To the extent that section 519 of the
Act purports to allow an agent of the legislative branch to prevent
implementation of the law unless the legislative agent reports to the
Congress that the executive branch has met certain conditions, the
executive branch shall construe such section as advisory, in accordance
with the Chadha principles.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 1, 2003.
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