Even as some lawmakers complain about the Department of Homeland Security slashing anti-terrorism funding for target-rich areas Washington and New York City, Congress is expected to cut the amount of money appropriated for homeland security grants in 2007.
It would be the third consecutive year in which the department’s budget has been reduced.
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., said the cuts were a result of misplaced priorities, especially in light of a $1.7 billion increase in funding for missile defense this year and $300 billion in tax cuts.
“It doesn’t reflect any sane list of priorities,” Moran told The Examiner. “Our priorities should be making the nation and the nation’s capital safe.”
DHS officials have been roundly criticized for reducing the amount of money allocated to the District and New York by 40 percent for the coming fiscal year while increasing the spending for cities such as Omaha, St. Louis and Louisville.
One reason for the cuts, DHS officials say, is that the agency had about $600 million less to spend than in 2005.
Congress has yet to finish its spending bill for fiscal 2007, but the latest figures show another $263 million in cuts for state and local police, fire and emergency management departments, according to the National Association of Counties.
President Bush requested $2.7 billion for 2007 and Congress so far has asked for slightly more than that.
If enacted, it would equate to $1.4 billion — or 34 percent — in cuts over the past three years.
The budget has dropped each year from $4.1 billion in 2004 to an expected $2.9 billion this year.
“The cuts are undermining local governments’ ability to protect the public and effectively respond to acts of terror or natural disasters,” said NAC Executive Director Larry Naake.
