U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1

29–012 2003

108th Congress, 1st Session – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 108–134

THE REQUEST AND AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY’S 

COUNTERTERRORISM FUND

COMMUNICATION

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

TRANSMITTING

THE REQUEST AND AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY’S COUNTERTERRORISM FUND, 

PURSUANT TO PUB. L. 106–554, AND PUB. L. 108–7

OCTOBER 1, 2003.—Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and 

ordered to be printed


E:\Seals\Congress.#13
(1)

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

Washington, September 30, 2003. 

Hon. J. DENNIS HASTERT, 

Speaker of the House of Representatives, 

Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: In accordance with provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106–554), and the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 (Public Law 108–7), I 

hereby request and make available $38,100,000 for the Department 

of Homeland Security’s Counterterrorism Fund. Of these funds, I 

hereby designate $28,748,918 as an emergency requirement pursuant to Public Law 106-554. 

These funds would allow the Department of Homeland Security 

to continue to improve the security at our Nation’s ports by deploying radiation monitoring devices nationwide and strengthening the 

system that is used to identify potential threats posed by international cargo shipments and international passengers. 

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed letter from 

the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 

Sincerely, 

GEORGE W. BUSH.

(3)

[Estimate No. 20, 108th Cong., 1st Sess.] 

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, 

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, 

Washington, DC, September 29, 2003. 

The PRESIDENT, The White House. 

Submitted for your consideration is a request to make available 

immediately previously appropriated contingent funds for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These funds were made 

contingent upon your submission of a budget request to the Congress. In addition, a portion of the requested funds must be designated as an emergency requirement. 

Your approval of this request would make available to DHS a 

total of $38 million from its Counterterrorism Fund. Of this 

amount, you would need to designate $29 million as an emergency 

requirement in accordance with P.L. 106–554. No further congressional action will be required in order to make the full amount 

available to DHS. 

The funds requested in this transmittal would support deployment of radiation monitoring equipment at the Nation’s ports, as 

well as provide enhancements to the system that targets high-risk 

international cargo and passengers for screening as they arrive in 

the United States. DHS’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection 

(BCBP), which oversees these programs, will be unable to complete 

these critical programs without these additional funds. 

The Counterterrorism Fund was originally established in the Department of the Treasury to support that agency’s counterterrorism 

activities. Upon establishment of DHS, most of the balances in the 

Treasury Department fund were moved to the newly-created DHS 

Counterterrorism Fund. 

Public Law 106–554, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001, 

provided $55 million in contingent emergency funding for the 

Treasury’s Counterterrorism Fund. To date, $19 million has been 

made available and spent. Of the unspent balances, $7 million remains at the Department of the Treasury for support of future 

counterterrorism activities and $29 million was transferred to 

DHS. 

Public Law 108–7, the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 

2003, provided an additional $10 million in contingent funding to 

the Treasury’s Counterterrorism Fund, all of which was later 

transferred to DHS. To date, none of those funds have been spent. 

I have carefully reviewed this proposal and am satisfied that it 

is necessary at this time. Therefore, I join the Secretary of Homeland Security in recommending that you make the requested funds 

4

available by signing the enclosed letter to the Speaker of the House 

of Representatives. 

Sincerely, 

JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, 

Director. 

Enclosure.

AMOUNTS PREVIOUSLY APPROPRIATED MADE AVAILABLE BY THE

PRESIDENT

Department of Homeland Security: 

Department of Management: 

Counterterrorism Fund (P.L. 106–554) ................................. $28,748,918

Counterterrorism Fund (P.L. 108–7) ..................................... 9,351,082

The Counterterrorism Fund was originally established in the Department of the Treasury to support that agency’s counterterrorism 

activities. On March 1, 2003, most of the balances within the 

Treasury Department fund were transferred to the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) pursuant to Section 1516 of the Homeland Security Act. Currently, $7 million remains at the Department of the Treasury for support of future counterterrorism activities, while all other balances were moved to DHS. 

P.L. 106–554, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001, provided $55 million for counterterrorism activities in the Department 

of the Treasury, contingent upon the President submitting a budget 

request to the Congress and designating the amount requested as 

an emergency requirement. Of this appropriation, $19 million has 

been made available and spent. Of the unspent balances, $7 million 

remains at the Department of the Treasury, as discussed above, 

and $29 million is available to DHS. This request would make 

available to DHS the remaining $29 million and has been designated by the President as an emergency requirement in accordance with P.L. 106–554. 

P.L. 108–7, the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003, 

provided an additional $10 million to support counterterrorism activities in the Department of the Treasury, to be made available 

contingent upon the President submitting a budget request to the 

Congress. None of these funds have been available to date, and all 

balances were transferred to DHS. This request would make $9 

million available to DHS. 

Recent events have highlighted the vulnerabilities of the Nation’s 

ports to terrorist attack or exploitation. DHS has the lead responsibility for ensuring that passengers and cargo passing through the 

ports are legitimate and do not pose a threat to the security of the 

Nation. This request would make available a total of $38 million, 

of which $13 million would be used to strengthen the Automated 

Targeting System, which identifies potential threats posed by cargo 

and passengers as they enter the country. The remainder, $25 million, would be used for the deployment of radiation portal monitors 

that can detect nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon material, radiation dispersal devices (RDD), radiological material for use in conVerDate jul 14 2003 14:09 Oct 02, 2003 Jkt 029012 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HD134.XXX HD134
5

struction of an RDD, and other illegal or illicit radioactive materials.

Æ