December 31, 2005Back

Bush Signs Law Funding War on Terror, Pandemic Flu Preparedness

The funding included in the Defense Department spending bill will allow the United States to continue to fight terrorism, pursue victory in Iraq and prepare for a potential flu pandemic, President Bush said December 30.

The president, in a statement issued by White House after he signed the bill into law, pledged to continue fighting the War on Terror while adhering to U.S. laws and policies prohibiting use of torture.

“These provisions reaffirm the values we share as a Nation and our commitment to the rule of law,” he said.

On December 22, the U.S. Congress approved a $453.5 billion 2006 defense budget that includes a measure outlawing the use of torture, or cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees being held by the U.S. military and civilian federal agencies such as the CIA. (See related article.)

The defense spending bill also includes $50 billion for continuing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, $3.8 billion for pandemic flu preparedness and $29 billion for disaster assistance to hurricane-damaged areas in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. 

In his December 30 statement, Bush affirmed the United States’ stance on fighting terrorism in a manner consistent with the U.S. Constitution, laws and treaties.  The legislation specifically prohibits cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of captured detainees held outside the United States.

Other provisions of the legislation also prohibit enemies of the United States from suing anyone, including U.S. troops, fighting the War on Terror.

The president also highlighted provisions providing liability protection for persons involved in detaining and interrogating terrorists as well as the provision giving legal counsel and compensation to U.S. service members and other U.S. government personnel, should they be sued in the United States or overseas.  Bush also noted that this legislation eliminates pending claims brought by detainees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

Following is the president’s statement:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Crawford, Texas)

For Immediate Release
December 30, 2005

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

The Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006 provides funds for our troops who are fighting the war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.  This funding will help us continue to hunt down the terrorists, pursue our strategy for victory in Iraq, and make America more secure.  In addition, it provides resources to help citizens of the Gulf States recover from devastating hurricanes, and helps protect Americans from a potential influenza pandemic.

The legislation also addresses the legal framework for U.S. detention and interrogation activities.  The detention and interrogation of captured terrorists are critical tools in the war on terror.  It is vital that our government gather intelligence to protect the American people from terrorist attacks, including critical information that may be obtained from those terrorists we have captured.  At the same time, the Administration is committed to treating all detainees held by the United States in a manner consistent with our Constitution, laws, and treaty obligations, which reflect the values we hold dear.  U.S. law and policy already prohibit torture.  Our policy has also been not to use cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, at home or abroad.  This legislation now makes that a matter of statute for practices abroad.  It also requires that the Defense Department’s treatment of detainees be codified in the U.S. Army Field Manual.

These provisions reaffirm the values we share as a Nation and our commitment to the rule of law.  As the sponsors of this legislation have stated, however, they do not create or authorize any right for terrorists to sue anyone, including our men and women on the front lines in the war on terror.  These men and women deserve our respect and thanks for doing a difficult job in the interest of our country, not a rash of lawsuits brought by our enemies in our own courts.  Far from authorizing such suits, this law provides additional liability protection for those engaged in properly authorized detention or interrogation of terrorists.  I am pleased that the law also makes provision for providing legal counsel to and compensating our service members and other U.S. Government personnel for legal expenses in the event a terrorist attempts to sue them, in our courts or in foreign courts.  I also appreciate the legislation’s elimination of the hundreds of claims brought by terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that challenge many different aspects of their detention and that are now pending in our courts.

I will continue to work with the Congress to ensure that the United States can effectively fight the war on terror while upholding its commitment to the rule of law.

GEORGE W. BUSH

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)