For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 12, 2003

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed amendments to the FY 2004 Budget for the Departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Corps of Engineers.

These amendments would not change the total pending Presidential Request for FY 2004. However, they would adjust upward the total discretionary budget authority requested by $0.9 billion, bringing the total discretionary funding agreed to by the Administration and the Congress to $785.6 billion. This increase in discretionary funding is fully offset by a corresponding decrease in mandatory funding. All other proposals are assumed to be funded within this constraint.

This transmittal also contains FY 2004 budget amendments for the Legislative Branch and FY 2003 supplemental proposals for the Judicial Branch. As a matter of comity, appropriations requests of the Legislative and Judicial Branches are commonly transmitted without change.

The details of these proposals are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

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