[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.

                                
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