Text 3449, 94 rader
Skriven 2006-10-17 23:31:20 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0610179) for Tue, 2006 Oct 17
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President's Statement on H.R. 5122, the "John Warner National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007"
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 17, 2006

President's Statement on H.R. 5122, the "John Warner National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007"



Today, I have signed into law H.R. 5122, the "John Warner National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007" (the "Act"). The Act authorizes
funding for the defense of the United States and its interests abroad, for
military construction, for national security-related energy programs, and
for maritime security-related transportation programs.

Several provisions of the Act call for executive branch officials to submit
to the Congress recommendations for legislation, or purport to regulate the
manner in which the President formulates recommendations to the Congress
for legislation. These provisions include sections 516(h), 575(g), 603(b),
705(d), 719(b), 721(e), 741(e), 813, 1008, 1016(d), 1035(b)(3), 1047(b),
and 1102 of the Act, section 118(b)(4) of title 10, United States Code, as
amended by section 1031 of the Act, section 2773b of title 10 as amended by
section 1053 of the Act, and section 403 of the Ronald W. Reagan National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (Public Law 108-375) as
amended by section 403 of the Act. The executive branch shall construe
these provisions in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional
authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to recommend for
the consideration of the Congress such measures as the President deems
necessary and expedient.

The executive branch shall construe sections 914 and 1512 of the Act, which
purport to make consultation with specified Members of Congress a
precondition to the execution of the law, as calling for but not mandating
such consultation, as is consistent with the Constitution's provisions
concerning the separate powers of the Congress to legislate and the
President to execute the laws.

A number of provisions in the Act call for the executive branch to furnish
information to the Congress or other entities on various subjects. These
provisions include sections 219, 313, 360, 1211, 1212, 1213, 1227, 1402,
and 3116 of the Act, section 427 of title 10, United States Code, as
amended by section 932 of the Act, and section 1093 of the Ronald W. Reagan
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (Public Law
108-375) as amended by section 1061 of the Act. The executive branch shall
construe such provisions in a manner consistent with the President's
constitutional authority to withhold information the disclosure of which
could impair foreign relations, the national security, the deliberative
processes of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's
constitutional duties.

The executive branch shall construe as advisory section 1011(b)(2) of the
Act, which purports to prohibit the Secretary of the Navy from retiring a
specified warship from operational status unless, among other things, a
treaty organization established by the U.S. and foreign nations gives
formal notice that it does not desire to maintain and operate that warship.
If construed as mandatory rather than advisory, the provision would
impermissibly interfere with the President's constitutional authority to
conduct the Nation's foreign affairs and as Commander in Chief.

The executive branch shall construe section 1211, which purports to require
the executive branch to undertake certain consultations with foreign
governments and follow certain steps in formulating and executing U.S.
foreign policy, in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional
authorities to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs and to supervise the
unitary executive branch.

As is consistent with the principle of statutory construction of giving
effect to each of two statutes addressing the same subject whenever they
can co-exist, the executive branch shall construe section 130d of title 10,
as amended by section 1405 of the Act, which provides further protection
against disclosure of certain homeland security information in certain
circumstances, as in addition to, and not in derogation of, the broader
protection against disclosure of information afforded by section 892 of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 and other law protecting broadly against
disclosure of such information.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

October 17, 2006.

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