[House Document 107-237]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 107-237
INTENTION TO REALLOCATE FUNDS PREVIOUSLY TRANSFERRED FROM THE
EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND
__________
COMMUNICATION
from
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
transmitting
NOTIFICATION OF THE INTENTION TO REALLOCATE FUNDS PREVIOUSLY
TRANSFERRED TO THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)
FROM THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND
July 8, 2002.--Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered
to be printed
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
99-012 WASHINGTON : 2002
The White House,
Washington, July 1, 2002.
Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Speaker: In order to fulfill urgent requirements
for civil aviation security, I am notifying the Congress of my
intent to reallocate funds previously transferred to the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the Emergency
Response Fund. These funds will now be allocated to the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in accordance with
the 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.
In addition, I am further revising my request for
supplemental funding originally transmitted on March 21st to
account for this transfer by adjusting my Administration's
request for supplemental funding for FEMA and for TSA. This
will ensure that FEMA has the full resources necessary to meet
my commitment to the recovery of New York.
As provided in Public Law 107-38, the $270 million to be
transferred will be made available immediately to TSA to
continue its civil aviation security responsibilities.
This is the second time I have arranged a ``bridge loan''
from FEMA to TSA to allow the Congress to complete action on my
March 21st emergency supplemental request. This option will not
be available a third time, since FEMA has no additional
remaining unobligated funds from Public Law 107-38. It is
imperative that the Congress quickly pass an acceptable
emergency supplemental bill to prevent a disruption of
commercial air travel.
I hereby designated the revised requests contained in the
accompanying material as emergency requirements pursuant to
section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
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 recommendations.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush.
Enclosure.
[Estimate No. 14, 107th Cong., 2d Sess.]
Executive Office of the President,
Office of Management and Budget,
Washington, DC, June 28, 2002.
The President,
The White House.
Submitted for your consideration is a request to reallocate
funds provided in P.L. 107-38, the Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations Act for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist
Attacks on the United States, FY 2001. This request would
reallocate funds previously transferred from the Emergency
Response Fund (ERF).
On May 23rd you transferred $760 million of emergency
response funds previously allocated to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) to support TSA's operations until the
enactment of supplemental funding. Since Congress has not yet
completed its work on the FY 2002 supplemental appropriations
bill, TSA faces significant constraints in meeting statutorily
imposed deadlines for airport security screening. The
Administration now proposes that an additional portion of the
emergency response funds previously allocated to FEMA instead
be transferred to TSA to support minimum airport screening
requirements through July. FEMA has received over $6 billion
for recovery from and response to the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, and even with these two transfers, it has
ample funds to support these activities until enactment of the
supplemental bill.
Specifically, this request would transfer $270 million of
FEMA's emergency response funds to TSA. Pursuant to P.L. 107-
38, the funds would be available immediately. This proposal
would also account for the transfer by adjusting the
Administration's request for supplemental funding for FEMA and
for TSA, accordingly. This action constitutes a ``bridge loan''
for TSA from FEMA, pending enactment of the supplemental
appropriations bill. The reallocation of funds, followed by
enactment of the President's revised supplemental request,
would result in both FEMA and TSA having the same level of
resources, and for the same purposes, as if no bridge loan had
occurred.
TSA is under a rigorous timetable established in law for
the deployment of passenger and baggage screeners, as well as
necessary equipment. The funding provided through this
reallocation would only support the continuation of existing
screening contracts and currently deployed Federal screeners
through July. Without immediate Congressional action on the
supplemental, TSA may need to suspend purchases and
installation of explosives detection equipment, reduce by 40
percent planned Federal screener hiring and training for July,
and pare down existing private transitional passenger screening
contracts.
I have carefully reviewed these proposals and am satisfied
that they are necessary at this time. Therefore, I join the
Secretary of Transportation and the Director of FEMA in
recommending your approval of the requested reallocation and
the transmittal of the revised supplemental proposals to the
Congress. In addition, I recommend that you designate the
revised supplemental requests as emergency funding requirements
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Sincerely,
Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.,
Director.
Enclosures.
Reallocation of Amounts Previously Appropriated and Transferred From
the Emergency Response Fund
Available Immediately:
Department of Transportation: Transportation Security
Administration--Transportation Security
Administration...................................... $270,000,000
These funds would support the minimum screening
requirements of the Transportation Security Administration
through the end of July, pending the enactment of the FY 2002
supplemental appropriations bill. Specifically, the funding
will primarily support the cost of transitional screening
contracts with private operators for July and currently
deployed Federal screeners through July. These funds were
originally transferred from the Emergency Response Fund,
established by P.L. 107-38, to the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
Revised Request
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Transportation Security Administration
For additional amounts for emergency expenses to implement
the Federal takeover of airport security, $3,370,000,000, to
remain available until expended of which not to exceed
$325,000,000 may be transferred to ``Operating Expenses'' and
``Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund'' accounts of the Federal
Aviation Administration: Provided, That the entire amount is
designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
This is a revised supplemental request for the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), This amount, when
combined with funds reallocated to TSA from Federal Emergency
Management Agency pursuant to P.L. 107-38, is identical in
amount and purpose to the original March 21st request.
The entire amount requested has been designated by the
President as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
------
Revised Request
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Disaster Relief
For an additional amount for ``Disaster Relief'' for
emergency expenses to respond to the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks on the United States, $3,780,000,000, to
remain available until expended: Provided, That the entire
amount is designated by the Congress as an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
This is a revised supplemental request for the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The pending request has
been increased by $270 million as a result of an equal amount
of funding that was reallocated by the President from FEMA to
the Transportation Security Administration.
The entire amount requested has been designated by the
President as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.