[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 43 (Monday, October 25, 2004)]
[Pages 2454-2455]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2005

October 18, 2004

    Today, I have signed into law H.R. 4850, the ``District of Columbia 
Appropriations Act, 2005.'' The bill appropriates funds for the 
Government of the District of Columbia and other activities chargeable 
against the revenues of the District.
    The provision of the Act relating to the Federal payment to the 
office of the District's Chief Financial Officer makes funds available 
for the projects and in the amounts specified in the statement of 
managers accompanying the conference report on the Act. While the 
specifications of projects and amounts in the statement of managers 
cannot satisfy the constitutional requirements of bicameral approval and 
presentment to the President needed to give them the force of law, the 
executive branch shall treat the specifications in a manner reflecting 
the comity between the executive and legislative branches on such 
matters.
    Section 309 of the Act purports to require the use of particular 
revenue estimates in the budget request for fiscal year 2006. The 
executive branch shall construe section 309 in a manner consistent with 
the President's constitutional authority to recommend for congressional 
consideration such measures, including requests for appropriations, as 
he judges necessary and expedient.
    Section 331(5) of the Act purports to require congressional 
committee approval prior to obligation or expenditure of appropriated 
funds. The executive branch shall construe this provision to require 
only prior notification to the congressional committees, as any other 
construction would be contrary to the constitutional principles set 
forth by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1983 in INS v. 
Chadha.
                                                George W. Bush
 The White House,
 October 18, 2004.

Note: H.R. 4850, approved October 18, was assigned Public Law No. 108-
335.

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