Lawmakers begin to examine second emergency fund request

Even with the congressional office buildings closed and the House out of session, Congress is already busy analyzing the Bush administration's request for the second $20 billion of the $40 billion terrorism supplemental--and determining how it may have to be altered, particularly to meet the recovery needs of New York and Virginia. Submitted Wednesday, the request includes $6.3 billion for New York, $7 billion for the war on terrorism and $6.9 billion for other disaster and homeland security needs. Congress structured the $40 billion emergency supplemental, which was passed just days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, so the first $10 billion would be available immediately for administration allocation; of that amount, $7.2 billion has been released. The second $10 billion is available to the administration 15 days after it submits to Congress a detailed accounting of how the money would be spent. Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels said Wednesday that plan could be submitted next week. And the final $20 billion, which the president just requested, is subject to the regular congressional appropriations process--and will be attached to what is expected to be the final fiscal 2002 bill--the Defense spending bill--as a separate title. An aide to one of the Virginia senators said that many of the state's local fire departments and emergency response teams, as well as those of New York and Pennsylvania, were in the vanguard of the "first responders." The aide said, "We need to be certain that New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania in particular are receiving the help they need to recover and rebuild. We want to be sure that they're getting the share they need." The aide said Virginia GOP Sens. John Warner and George Allen are working with their leadership, and their House colleagues are working with their leaders, to "make sure the administration is made aware of the contributions of those localities." A senior Republican Senate aide said there would be "a very close look at the balance" between domestic and defense funding in the request, and predicted Congress would shift more of the $20 billion to the recovery efforts in Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York--and allow the administration to devote more of the $12.8 billion remaining in the first $20 billion of the supplemental, where it has more discretion, to defense needs. The aide also questioned whether some of the items the administration is seeking funding--such as $6.5 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, $300 million for the National Science Foundation and money for HUD's office of inspector general-- should take higher priority over domestic recovery efforts. A spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee added, "I think everyone expects there will be another supplemental in the spring, so whatever isn't addressed in the $40 billion can be addressed then."