    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 12, 2001]
    [Pages 1390-1391]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Treasury and General Government Appropriations
    Act, 2002
    November 12, 2001

        Today I have signed into law H.R. 2590, the ``Treasury and General
    Government Appropriations Act, 2002.''
        I appreciate the bipartisan effort that has gone into producing this
    Act. The bill abides by the agreed upon aggregate funding level for
    Fiscal Year 2002 of $686 billion and supports several of my
    Administration's key initiatives with funding for:

         the Prevention of Youth and Gang Violence Initiative,
                enabling the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to
                continue its two programs that focus on youth violence
                reduction;
         the Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act Initiative,
                which will allow continued implementation of this Act by the
                United States Customs Service;
         the New Counterdrug Research and Technology Initiative,
                which doubles the FY 2000 request for the Counterdrug
                Technology Assessment Center; and,
         the Drug Free Communities Initiative.

        The Act funds the Department of the Treasury's law enforcement
    bureaus at $4.8 billion, which is comprised of $2.7 billion for the U.S.
    Customs Service to protect our Nation's borders and to facilitate the
    flow of legitimate trade and passengers, and $924 million for the
    protective operations of the United States Secret Service, including $45
    million for additional special agents. The Act augments funding for
    Treasury's ongoing efforts to target, detect, and dismantle terrorist
    fund-raising and money laundering at home and abroad. In addition, the
    Act provides $139 million for the Federal Law Enforcement Training
    Center to train Federal, State, and local law enforcement personnel.
        I am pleased that the bill continues current law provisions that
    prohibit the use of Federal funds to pay for abortions in the Federal
    Employees Health Benefits Program, except in cases where the life of the
    mother is endangered, or the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape
    or incest.
        Unfortunately, the Act does not include my proposal to consolidate
    the eighteen separate appropriations into a single appropriation for the
    Executive Office of the President. The Congress' continued insistence on
    specifying in extraordinary detail the specific operations of the
    Executive Office of the President unnecessarily infringes on my ability
    to freely manage my own office to meet the Nation's needs.
        My Administration appreciates that the Congress has worked
    expeditiously during this difficult and trying time in our Nation's
    history to consider the FY 2002 appropriations bills. Now, through a
    renewed sense of bipartisanship, the Congress and the Administration
    must work together to ensure the timely enactment of the remaining
    bills.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     November 12, 2001.

     Note:  H.R. 2590, approved November 12, was assigned Public Law No.
    107-67. This

    [[Page 1391]]

    statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on November
    13.