[House Document 104-263]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



104th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 104-263


 
  REQUESTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1996 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE 
 DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE, THE INTERIOR, AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, ALSO 
    MAKING AVAILABLE APPROPRIATIONS TOTALING $50 MILLION IN BUDGET 
     AUTHORITY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 HIS REQUEST TO MAKE AVAILABLE APPROPRIATIONS TOTALING $300,000,000 IN 
  BUDGET AUTHORITY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, $100,000,000 IN 
  BUDGET AUTHORITY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, A $100,000,000 
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUEST FOR VETERANS COMPENSATION AND PENSIONS, AND MAKING 
 AVAILABLE APPROPRIATIONS TOTALING $50,000,000 IN BUDGET AUTHORITY TO 
 THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND TO DESIGNATE THE 
AMOUNTS MADE AVAILABLE AS AN EMERGENCY REQUIREMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 
 251(b)(2)(D)(i) OF THE BALANCED BUDGET AND EMERGENCY DEFICIT CONTROL 
          ACT OF 1985, AS AMENDED, PURSUANT TO 31 U.S.C. 1107




 September 17, 1996.--Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and 
                         ordered to be printed

                                           The White House,
                                    Washington, September 12, 1996.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
    Sir: I ask Congress to consider requests for FY 1996 
supplemental appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture, 
the Interior, and Veterans Affairs.
    These requests include: (1) supplemental funding totaling 
$300 million for the Department of Agriculture and $100 million 
for the Department of the Interior to address urgent needs 
arising from recent wildland fires; and, (2) a $100 million 
supplemental request for Veterans Compensation and Pensions, a 
mandatory item that the Senate added on September 5th to H.R. 
3666, the Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and 
Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill, FY 1997.
    I hereby designate the following requests for FY 1996 
supplemental appropriations as emergency requirements pursuant 
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended:
          Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Wildland 
        fire management: $300,000,000;
          Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land 
        Management, Wildland fire management: $50,000,000.
    To address potential further needs resulting from the 
devastating effects of the current wildland fires, this package 
of FY 1996 requests includes $50 million in budget authority 
for the Department of the Interior that would be made available 
upon my transmittal of a later budget request to the Congress 
designating the specific amount requested as an emergency 
requirement, pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
    Also, in accordance with P.L. 104-134, the Omnibus 
Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996, I 
hereby make available appropriations totaling $50 million in 
budget authority to the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development for Community Development Block Grants. These funds 
will be used to address urgent needs arising from the 
consequences of heavy rains and flooding occurring between the 
beginning of fiscal year 1996 and April 26, 1996, the date of 
the enactment of the legislation.
    I designate the $50 million made available in accordance 
with P.L. 104-134 as an emergency requirement pursuant to 
section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) 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 Acting Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget. I concur with his comments and observations.
            Sincerely,
                                                William J. Clinton.
    Enclosures.




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