Bill Clinton: “Appropriations Requests February 14, 1995 Dear Mr. Speaker: My Fiscal Year 1996 Budget requests $10.4 billion in…”

“Appropriations Requests February 14, 1995 Dear Mr. Speaker: My Fiscal Year 1996 Budget requests $10.4 billion in supplemental appropriations for the current fiscal year. Much of the request is for emergency requirements, such as contingency operations of the Department of Defense and disaster relief provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. My Budget also proposes to reduce low-priority spending in FY 1995 by $2.4 billion, primarily to pay for non-emergency supplemental requests. I was disappointed to receive your February 7, 1995 letter indicating your intent to delay action on several of these emergency requests until the Administration proposes offsets. I am particularly concerned about my request for $6.7 billion for FEMA Disaster Relief, all of which is properly designated as an emergency, under the terms of the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990. The Budget Enforcement Act established the authority for the President and Congress to exempt certain spending from the statutory caps, specifically for the purpose of meeting emergency, unanticipated requirements. This joint designation by the President and Congress has been used over the last four years to provide critical assistance in response to earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, extreme cold and agricultural disasters, and for other purposes. President Bush and Congress approved $10.2 billion as emergency spending in response to Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki in Florida, Louisiana and Hawaii.…”