For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 22, 2002

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
March 20, 2002

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In accordance with the requirement included in Public Law 107-63, the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, FY 2002, I hereby request $346.0 million in emergency appropriations previously provided under title II for the Department of Agriculture for rehabilitation and wildfire suppression activities of the Forest Service.

I hereby designate these funds as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.  The entire amount is being designated as an emergency requirement to make $200.0 million available immediately to repay funds previously borrowed for emergency wildland fire suppression activities.

Furthermore, 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 hereby authorize a transfer from the Emergency Response Fund totaling $27.2 million to the General Services Administration.

I have previously authorized the transfer of over $19.9 billion in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  With this action today, all the funds that were made available to me from the Emergency Response Fund have been transferred for urgent needs.

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

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