    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [September 12, 2003]
    [Page 1157]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1157]]

    Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Transmitting
    Amendments to the FY 2004 Budget
    September 12, 2003

    Dear Mr. Speaker:
        I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed amendments to the FY
    2004 Budget for the Departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security, and
    Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Corps of Engineers.
        These amendments would not change the total pending Presidential
    Request for FY 2004. However, they would adjust upward the total
    discretionary budget authority requested by $0.9 billion, bringing the
    total discretionary funding agreed to by the Administration and the
    Congress to $785.6 billion. This increase in discretionary funding is
    fully offset by a corresponding decrease in mandatory funding. All other
    proposals are assumed to be funded within this constraint.
        This transmittal also contains FY 2004 budget amendments for the
    Legislative Branch and FY 2003 supplemental proposals for the Judicial
    Branch. As a matter of comity, appropriations requests of the
    Legislative and Judicial Branches are commonly transmitted without
    change.
        The details of these proposals are set forth in the enclosed letter
    from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
             Sincerely,

                                                              George W. Bush

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this letter.