[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 52 (Monday, January 2, 2006)]
[Page 1920]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental 
Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic 
Influenza Act, 2006

December 30, 2005

    The Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to 
Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic Influenza Act, 
2006 provides funds for our troops who are fighting the war on terror in 
Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. This funding will help us continue to 
hunt down the terrorists, pursue our strategy for victory in Iraq, and 
make America more secure. In addition, it provides resources to help 
citizens of the Gulf States recover from devastating hurricanes, and 
helps protect Americans from a potential influenza pandemic.
    The legislation also addresses the legal framework for U.S. 
detention and interrogation activities. The detention and interrogation 
of captured terrorists are critical tools in the war on terror. It is 
vital that our government gather intelligence to protect the American 
people from terrorist attacks, including critical information that may 
be obtained from those terrorists we have captured. At the same time, 
the Administration is committed to treating all detainees held by the 
United States in a manner consistent with our Constitution, laws, and 
treaty obligations, which reflect the values we hold dear. U.S. law and 
policy already prohibit torture. Our policy has also been not to use 
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, at home or abroad. This 
legislation now makes that a matter of statute for practices abroad. It 
also requires that the Defense Department's treatment of detainees be 
codified in the U.S. Army Field Manual.
    These provisions reaffirm the values we share as a Nation and our 
commitment to the rule of law. As the sponsors of this legislation have 
stated, however, they do not create or authorize any right for 
terrorists to sue anyone, including our men and women on the front lines 
in the war on terror. These men and women deserve our respect and thanks 
for doing a difficult job in the interest of our country, not a rash of 
lawsuits brought by our enemies in our own courts. Far from authorizing 
such suits, this law provides additional liability protection for those 
engaged in properly authorized detention or interrogation of terrorists. 
I am pleased that the law also makes provision for providing legal 
counsel to and compensating our service members and other U.S. 
Government personnel for legal expenses in the event a terrorist 
attempts to sue them, in our courts or in foreign courts. I also 
appreciate the legislation's elimination of the hundreds of claims 
brought by terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that challenge many 
different aspects of their detention and that are now pending in our 
courts.
    I will continue to work with the Congress to ensure that the United 
States can effectively fight the war on terror while upholding its 
commitment to the rule of law.
                                                George W. Bush
 The White House,
 December 30, 2005.

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