Letter to the Speaker of the House Recommending Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Assistance Following Tropical Storm Agnes

Sir:

I ask the Congress to consider proposed supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 1973 in the amounts of $1,569,800,000 in budget authority and $20,000,000 in proposals not increasing budget authority.

These appropriations, together with a $200, 000,000 Federal highway emergency relief authorization request, which will be sought separately, will provide over $1.8 billion in Federal funds to help repair the damage caused by Tropical Storm Agnes.

These funds will help the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are struggling to rebuild their lives after the destruction wrought by Tropical Storm Agnes. From the earliest days of our Nation, whenever a disaster or hardship struck, Americans have pulled together, neighbors helping neighbors. It is fitting that we carry on this tradition now, in the wake of the worst natural disaster in American history, in terms of property damage and the extent of territory affected.

The details of these proposals are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget with whose comments I concur.

Respectfully,

RICHARD NIXON