*EPF506 09/14/01
Congress Votes $40,000 Million to Fight Terrorism, Aid Recovery
(Second measure authorizing military use awaits House action) (740)
By Ralph Dannheisser
Washington File Congressional Correspondent

Washington - Acting swiftly and unanimously, the U.S. Congress has voted $40,000 million dollars in emergency funds for recovery and counter-terrorism efforts following the deadly attacks that demolished the World Trade Center towers in New York and severely damaged the Pentagon near Washington September 11.

The Senate approved the measure early September 14 by a 96-0 vote, and the House of Representatives followed suit by a vote of 422-0.

At least half of the money is earmarked for humanitarian assistance and recovery efforts, mainly in New York City. House action came even as President Bush was on his way to New York to get a firsthand look at the devastation in lower Manhattan, after attending special noontime prayer services at Washington's National Cathedral.

A second, related measure, authorizing the president to use "all necessary and appropriate force" in a military fight against terrorism, also won unanimous passage in the Senate, 98-0. House action on that measure was expected to follow shortly, but probably not until September 15.

The unanimous vote - a reflection of a united U.S. response to the terrorist attacks that killed thousands and disrupted financial and transportation systems nationwide -- stood in sharp contrast to the result the last time the Senate considered military action. On that occasion, just before the Persian Gulf War, approval came narrowly, 51-47.

The delay in House action on the force authorization measure was prompted by concerns of some lawmakers who want to give Bush broad powers to carry out a military response, but worry that overly broad language could give him open-ended authority that would impinge on the constitutional role of Congress.

Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said the swift approval of emergency funding represented "a bipartisan effort that stretched from one end of the country to the other," and added, "It's going to help New York tremendously."

House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young, a Florida Republican, said the funding package - twice the amount that Bush had asked Congress to provide - "allows the federal government to use every tool in its arsenal to help America recover from this tragedy and to locate and prosecute the cowards who committed this crime."

And Senate Minority (Republican) Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi declared, "The whole world has changed and we're acting appropriately."

The first $10,000 million will be made available immediately upon the president's signature of the bill -- for emergency rescue and rebuilding efforts; enhanced security at airports, other transportation facilities, and public buildings; and investigation and prosecution of terrorism.

Another $10,000 million will be released as soon as the administration provides Congress with a plan for using it, while the final $20,000 million is to follow after the new fiscal year starts October 1.

The second Senate-passed resolution, awaiting House action, authorizes the president "to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons...."

Such action is intended, in the words of the resolution, "to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."

The resolution, as passed, modified language originally sought by the president, giving him "preemptive" authority to use force to prevent future acts of terror. Many senators criticized that version as unduly vague and open-ended.

Legislative concerns harked back to the Vietnam War era of the 1960s, when Congress gave President Johnson extraordinary powers by passing the so-called Gulf of Tonkin resolution. That action deprived Congress of effective oversight as the war escalated.

The resolution the Senate passed September 14 is "broad enough for the president to have the authority to do all that he needs to do to deal with this terrorist attack" while also "tight enough that the constitutional requirements and limitations are protected," Lott said.

Commenting on the vote, Senate Majority (Democratic) Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota declared, "Once again the Senate has pulled together, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, responding to a crisis in a way that Americans expect."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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