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Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

April 25, 2006

Dear Mr. Speaker:

To provide additional resources to assist the greater New Orleans region to continue its recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed requests for an additional $2.2 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), which is in addition to amounts requested on February 16th. This additional amount is offset by a $2.2 billion reduction in the amount requested on February 16th for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund.

The revised Corps request, which now totals $3.7 billion, replaces the previous supplemental request for the Corps that was submitted on February 16th. This revised request supports the Administration's commitment to further enhance the levee system in parts of the New Orleans area to meet Federal 100 year standards of protection.

I designate these proposals in the amounts requested herein as an emergency requirement.

The details of these requests are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

posted by cboldt  # 4/25/2006 07:54:00 PM