February 10. the House Committee on Appropriations ordered reported two bills: H.R. 889. a bill providing for emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense. and H.R. 845. a bill rescinding certain budget authority. The two bills taken together rescind almost $14 million more than they appropriate. The Defense supplemental is very important to the national security needs of this country. The bill provides $2.5 billion to the Department of Defense to reimburse various accounts that were depleted by actions taken in support of unbudgeted contingency operations in Haiti. Somalia. Southwest Asia. Bosnia. Korea. and refugee support in the Caribbean. Without these reimbursements. defense readiness will suffer severe and immediate impacts. These necessary appropriations are partially offset by rescissions within the Department of Defense totaling $1.460 billion.