Plan to Cut Antiterror Spending Is Criticized by Stateâ??s Leaders

[Breukelen advocaat]

This is a disgrace and we need somebody in the White House that has their priorities regarding our security straight. They've wasted money homeland security funds by giving them away to the wrong areas, by typical pork barrel allocations. The simple truth is that if New York goes down, so does the rest of the country.

New York Times
December 2, 2007

Plan to Cut Antiterror Spending Is Criticized by Stateâ??s Leaders

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A White House plan to slash antiterror grant programs by more than half would threaten the safety of American cities, New York politicians charged yesterday.

Senator Charles E. Schumer blasted the Bush administrationâ??s plan to eliminate some port and rail security programs and cut security grants for states and cities to $1.4 billion in 2009 from $3.4 billion in the 2007 fiscal year.

â??To say, no port security, no transit security, when we know that our ports and transit lines are targets for terrorists makes no sense if you want to protect America,â?� Mr. Schumer said.

Other officials said the cuts would penalize a city attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, and in 1993.

â??Itâ??s stunning that the federal government would consider cutting New York Cityâ??s homeland security funds from the already inadequate level that currently exists,â?� said John Gallagher, a spokesman for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The federal government has given $23 billion in antiterror grants to states and municipalities since the Sept. 11 attacks, but some have criticized the programs as pork-barrel spending.

According to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press, the Bush administration is not convinced that the money has been well spent and thinks the nationâ??s highest-risk cities have largely satisfied their emergency need to improve security.

Officials with the White House Office of Management and Budget said the presidentâ??s budget proposals had yet to be completed. Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said Friday that the White House would strongly support any needed antiterror programs.

Still, Gov. Eliot Spitzer's spokeswoman, Christine Anderson, likened the White House proposal to a â??â??bean counterâ?? approach to protecting our homeland when sound policy is whatâ??s required.â?�

Mr. Schumer estimated that if the cuts were accepted by Congress, New York Cityâ??s share of the aid might drop to $70 million or $80 million from $134 million.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/ny...l?ref=nyregion

Breukelen advocaat Reviewed by Breukelen advocaat on 12-04-2007. Plan to Cut Antiterror Spending Is Criticized by Stateâ??s Leaders This is a disgrace and we need somebody in the White House that has their priorities regarding our security straight. They've wasted money homeland security funds by giving them away to the wrong areas, by typical pork barrel allocations. The simple truth is that if New York goes down, so does the rest of the country. New York Times December 2, 2007 Plan to Cut Antiterror Spending Is Criticized by Stateâ??s Leaders THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A White House plan to slash antiterror Rating: 5