Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Requesting Further Assistance to the Victims of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Oct 22, 2001

October 17, 2001

Dear Mr. Speaker:

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 ask the Congress to consider expeditiously the enclosed proposals, totaling $20 billion, to enable the Government to continue to provide assistance to the victims of the September 11th attacks and to deal with the consequences of the attacks.

Public Law 107-38 -- legislation crafted and enacted with strong bipartisan cooperation -- provided a total of $40 billion in emergency funding to the Emergency Response Fund. The $40 billion in emergency expenses enacted in Public Law 107-38 was provided to assist victims of the attacks and to deal with other consequences of the attacks, including the costs of: (1) providing Federal, State, and local preparedness for mitigating and responding to the attacks; (2) providing support to counter, investigate, or prosecute domestic or international terrorism; (3) providing increased transportation security; (4) repairing public facilities and transportation systems damaged by the attacks; and (5) supporting national security.

As required by Public Law 107-38, on September 18th, I designated the entire $40 billion as an emergency funding requirement. Today, I hereby request and designate these individual proposals as emergency funding requirements pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended. In addition, I hereby designate the funds in or credited to the Defense Cooperation Account during FY 2002 as emergency requirements pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of such Act.

I am proud that we have continued to work together with such bipartisan spirit in the weeks following the despicable attacks on our Nation. Since final estimates of the total resources needed to address the consequences of this tragedy will not be known for months to come, I urge the Congress to enact -- without delay -- these specific requests that address immediate, near-term needs and that represent currently defined and certain requirements.

My Administration does not intend to seek additional supplemental funding for either domestic or defense needs for the remainder of this session of Congress. If further requirements become clear, we will work with the Congress to address additional needs in the Second Session of the 107th Congress. In addition, we will assess the manner in which our FY 2003 Budget will address further needs as they relate to the September 11th terrorist attacks.

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

NOTE: An original was not available for verification of the content of this letter. The Office of the Press Secretary also made available the text of Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels' letter.