[House Document 108-148] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] 108th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 108- 148 THE REQUEST AND AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY'S COUNTERTERRORISM FUND __________ COMMUNICATION from THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES transmitting THE REQUEST AND AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY'S COUNTERTERRORISM FUND, PURSUANT TO PUB. L. 106-554.January 20, 2004.--Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed The White House, Washington, December 17, 2003. Hon. J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Speaker: In accordance with provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106-554), I hereby request and make available $7 million for the Department of the Treasury's Counterterrorism Fund. I hereby designate this $7 million as an emergency requirement pursuant to Public Law 106-554. These funds would support Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Service Agents in overseas and domestic counterterrorism efforts. The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Sincerely, George W. Bush. [Estimate No. 22, 108th Cong., 1st Sess.] Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC, December 15, 2003. The President, The White House. Submitted for your consideration is a request to make available previously appropriated contingent emergency funds for the Department of the Treasury's Counterterrorism Fund. These funds were made contingent upon your submission of a budget request to the Congress that includes a designation of the amount requested as an emergency requirement. Public Law 106-554, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001, provided $55 million in contingent emergency funding for the Counterterrorism Fund, originally established in the Treasury Department. All but $7 million of these funds have been either previously made available for Treasury activities or transferred to the Department of Homeland Security pursuant to the Homeland Security Act (P.L. 107-296). Your approval of this request would now make the remaining $7 million available to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These funds would support IRS Criminal Investigation Service agents in overseas and domestic counterterrorism efforts. I recommend that you designate this request as an emergency requirement in accordance with provisions of P.L. 106-554. No further congressional action will be required. I have carefully reviewed this proposal and am satisfied that it is necessary at this time. Therefore, I join the Secretary of the Treasury in recommending that you make the requested funds available by signing the enclosed letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Sincerely, Joshua B. Bolten, Director. Enclosure. Emergency Appropriations: Amounts Previously Appropriated Made Available by the President Department of the Treasury: Departmental Offices-- Counterterrorism Fund............................... $7,000,000 The Counterterrorism Fund was originally established in the Department of the Treasury to support that agency's counterterrorism activities. On March 1, 2003, most of the unspent balances within the Fund were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security pursuant to Section 1516 of the Homeland Security Act (P.L. 107-296), leaving $7 million in the Treasury Department. This request would make the remaining $7 million available to the counterterrorism program of the Criminal Investigative Division of the Internal Revenue (IRS) and would require the President to designate these funds as an emergency requirement in accordance with P.L. 106-554. IRS agents have played a critical role in supporting the war on terrorism, particularly in terrorist financing matters. This $7 million would finance the dispatch of IRS agents to the Middle East and Europe to support the Iraqi repatriation mission. It would also fund additional equipment, technology investments, and training for IRS counterterrorism agents involved in Joint Terrorism Task Forces and other counterterrorism efforts.