[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[September 8, 1992]
[Pages 1500-1501]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



White House Statement on Proposed Disaster Relief Legislation
September 8, 1992

    Today the President submitted to the Congress emergency supplemental 
requests to cover the incremental costs arising from the consequences of 
Hurricane Andrew and Typhoon Omar. The requests are for the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration 
(SBA), and most of the Cabinet Departments. The requested funds 
represent a Federal financial response to address the effects of 
Hurricane Andrew and Typhoon Omar of over $7.6 billion in budgetary re-

[[Page 1501]]

sources.
    The requests for emergency and related supplemental appropriations 
for FY 1992 total $2,911.6 million in budget authority and would support 
additional loan activity of over $3 billion. These funds will be used 
for a comprehensive range of disaster-related activities including 
direct assistance to individuals, infrastructure repair, human services, 
and law enforcement. The additional availability of loans will assist in 
building and rebuilding homes, facilitate economic recovery through 
small business loans, and help farmers who have suffered the loss of 
structures and crops.
    In addition to direct emergency and related appropriations, 
contingent funds of $143 million for FEMA and $75 million in budget 
authority for SBA (which would support an additional $350 million of new 
loans) are requested to replenish the depleted contingency funds of 
these Agencies. Establishment of a disaster-related contingency fund 
within Funds Appropriated to the President is also requested for $350 
million in unanticipated disaster-related needs. These contingent 
appropriations would become available upon the President's transmittal 
of subsequent budget requests to the Congress designating each such 
request as an emergency requirement.
    In addition to these emergency funding requirements, $983.9 million 
in nonemergency funding is requested for the Department of Defense. Of 
this amount, $205.6 million will be used for replacement of facilities 
and equipment, cleanup activities, and military personnel support costs 
stemming from Typhoon Omar in Guam; $297.7 million will be used for 
similar costs stemming from Hurricane Andrew; and $480.6 million will be 
used to rebuild the facilities destroyed at Homestead Air Force Base.
    The President requested that the legislation in which these funds 
are provided be kept free of extraneous matters ``in order that there 
may be a minimum of delay in providing necessary funds to the disaster 
areas.''
    The President has designated all of the requests, other than the 
three contingency requests and the request for appropriations to the 
Department of Defense, as emergency requirements pursuant to the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
    The details of these requests are described in an attachment.

                    Note: Detailed descriptions of Agencies' specific 
                        programs and budget requests were attached to 
                        the statement.