    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [July 24, 2001]
    [Pages 908-909]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Supplemental Appropriations Act, FY 2001
    July 24, 2001

        Today I signed into law H.R. 2216, the ``Supplemental Appropriations
    Act, FY 2001,'' which provides funding for the Department of Defense and
    other departments.
        This important supplemental appropriation provides urgently needed
    resources to enhance defense readiness and operations and maintenance;
    to improve the morale of our service men and service women, and their
    families; to provide needed home energy assistance for low-income
    families; to aid victims of radiation exposures associated with the
    Government's nuclear weapons testing program; to provide a U.S.
    contribution for the global trust fund to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and
    tuberculosis; and for other purposes.
        I commend the Congress for expeditiously providing critical
    resources needed to improve our support for our men and women in the
    military while maintaining a strict fiscal discipline. The Congress
    provided this additional funding within the budget agreement's
    discretionary spending limits. The resources I requested for the
    Department of Defense will help our military readiness and help lay the
    groundwork for further strengthening after Secretary
    Rumsfeld's ongoing strategy review.
        I applaud the Congress for passing this bill without resorting to
    the abusive use of the emergency designation. We have seen
    ``emergencies'' become a recurring part of the budget process, and
    become magnets for special-interest, non-essential spending.
        I will continue to work with the Congress and the Federal Emergency
    Management Agency (FEMA) to see that FEMA meets

    [[Page 909]]

    its obligations to perform its extremely important role of disaster
    relief in a thorough and timely manner.
        I hope the bipartisan approval of this bill is a harbinger of
    improved, more orderly deliberations for the remainder of the FY 2002
    appropriations process. The fiscal discipline demonstrated in this
    Supplemental Appropriations Act, developed with collegiality and in a
    timely manner, sets a standard for how the Congress should handle
    spending bills for the next fiscal year.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     July 24, 2001.

    Note: H.R. 2216, approved July 24, was assigned Public Law No. 107-20.