March 22, 1977

The White House Office—Expenditure of Appropriated

Funds—Handling Mail for Members of the President’s

Family

This is in response to your request for our views on whether the White House 

is authorized to pay the costs of processing mail addressed to members of the 

President’s family other than Mrs. Carter. We understand that staff salaries and 

related costs of handling Mrs. Carter’s mail are paid out of funds appropriated 

for the White House Office.

It is our opinion that White House Office funds may be used for handling 

mail addressed by the general public to members of the family who reside in the 

White House, and perhaps for the President’s son who does not live in the 

White House and the President’s mother as well.

Funds appropriated for the White House Office may be used for salaries and 

other “ necessary” expenses of that Office. Expenses are thought to be 

necessary if they are reasonably related to the general governmental functions 

for which the funds were appropriated. 52 Comp. Gen. 504 (1973); 50 Comp. 

Gen. 534 (1971). It seems reasonable to conclude that mail sent to members of 

the President’s family because of their relationship to the President should be 

answered in order to respond to the writers’ concerns and to demonstrate that 

the White House and the First Family— who are in a sense representatives of 

the President—are interested in them. In our view, this function is appropriately related to the operation of the White House.

The nexus between the regular governmental functions of the White House 

Office and its handling of mail of the President’s family is particularly strong 

for those family members who reside in the White House, because they are 

presumably more closely identified in the public’s mind with the President’s 

official duties. The White House Office appropriation is available to assist the 

President in performing those duties, traditionally including matters relating to 

the President’s household. Therefore, that appropriation does, in our view,

78-76 MEMORANDUM OPINION FOR THE COUNSEL

TO THE PRESIDENT

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reasonably cover the expenses of handling mail of members of the household.* 

It is presumably on this basis that the costs of handling Mrs. Carter’s mail are 

paid from Government funds, and we see no reason to distinguish other 

members of the President’s household in this regard. We note, too, that it is 

much the same rationale that permits the expenditure of Government funds for 

official travel by members of the President’s family.

The nexus to the official operations of the White House Office would appear 

to be less direct when the family members involved are not part of the 

President’s household in the White House. However, in our view, since such 

family members receive mail because of their relationship to the President and 

are perceived to be acting on his behalf to a degree when they reply to the 

letters, the processing of their mail is also sufficiently related to the purposes 

for which funds are appropriated to the White House Office to permit those 

funds to be used in this fashion.

Jo h n M . H a rm o n

Acting Assistant Attorney General

Office o f Legal Counsel

•W e believe that on this same theory, Mrs. Carter may assign a member of her staff, paid out of 

White House Office appropriations, to be responsible for scheduling the affairs of other members of 

the family who reside in the W hite House.