House passes $42.3B homeland security funding bill

House passes $42.3B homeland security funding bill

Published June 02, 2011

WASHINGTON – The GOP-controlled House on Thursday passed a $42.3 billion budget for the government's homeland security efforts after a debate that demonstrated resistance for some of the spending cuts required under austere budget times.

The measure passed 231-188 after lawmakers eased cuts to popular grant programs for local fire departments and after GOP conservatives tried but failed in several attempts to add millions of dollars to a variety of border security initiatives.

It's the first of the 12 annual spending bills funding the day-to-day operations of federal agencies for the budget year beginning Oct. 1. It's also the first concrete step to implement the budget blueprint approved by House Republicans in April.

The homeland security measure bears a $1.1 billion cut of almost 3 percent from the spending levels for the ongoing budget year that were enacted in April in a compromise between House Republicans and President Barack Obama.

But far more stringent spending bills — they contain cuts to health research, student aid, food aid for low-income pregnant women and energy efficiency programs — will follow this summer.

Republicans focused the homeland security cuts on port and transit security grants, awards for high-risk cities, and grants to local fire departments to help them with salaries and equipment purchases, proposing to slash them by $2.1 billion below Obama's requests — cuts of more than half.

On Wednesday a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers restored $320 million in cuts to grants for fire departments by a sweeping 333-87 vote, but only by imposing an unrealistic cut on the agency's bureaucratic operations.

Border state Republicans like Reps. Ted Poe and Michael McCaul of Texas were less successful in attempts to add money to favored programs. Poe sought $100 million for detention beds to hold illegal aliens facing deportation and $10 million for cell phone towers along the U.S.-Mexico border. McCaul pressed for, among others, a $50 million amendment for drone aircraft, helicopters and boats to patrol the border. The amendments were ruled out of order under House rules.

The cuts to grant programs freed up funding for core homeland security programs like border security, immigration control, airport security and the Coast Guard. An amendment by Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., designed to boost airport screening operations undertaken by private companies instead of federal workers was adopted 219-204.

The measure adds almost $2 billion above the administration's request for Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief accounts, which were already facing a $3 billion or so shortfall before the recent wave of tornadoes in Missouri and Alabama and flooding along the Mississippi River.

The legislation cuts off funding for new advanced airport scanners that have sparked outrage over their revealing images of travelers' bodies. The measure denies the administration's $76 million request for an additional 275 scanners.

Bdgetary factors rather than protests from privacy advocates sparked the cut. The Transportation Security Administration is trying hard to modify the machines so that they won't produce revealing images, but the software isn't yet ready.

The underlying measure wouldn't affect the 500 or so machines already in place at 78 of the nation's airports or the 500 just funded in a recent spending bill.

An amendment by Reps. Justin Amash, R-Mich., and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, to prohibit TSA from relying on the advanced screening machines as the primary means of screening passengers was defeated 300-123.

Also Thursday, the House began debate on a $72.5 billion measure funding veterans programs and construction projects at military bases. A vote to pass the bill was expected Friday.

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U.S. House OKs homeland security bill with cuts


BY HERB JACKSON
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
The Record
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Homeland Security became the first federal department on the chopping block as the new Republican majority in the House began spelling out where spending cuts would come next year.
The House on Thursday approved a 2012 homeland security budget that is $3 billion less than President Obama requested.
AP
The House on Thursday approved a 2012 homeland security budget that is $3 billion less than President Obama requested.

A month after Osama bin Laden’s death, the House on Thursday approved a 2012 homeland security budget that is $3 billion less than President Obama requested and would spend $1.1 billion less than this year.

Most front-line federal security employees would keep their jobs, and spending on border protection and immigration control would be increased. The Secret Service also would receive an extra $152 million to protect 2012 presidential candidates.
Cuts hitting N.J.

Some of the changes the House would make to President Obama’s budget request for homeland security in 2012 would affect programs that sent money to North Jersey or protected the region’s ports and airports. Here’s a look, and the reasons for the changes:

Security grants: Seven grant programs for rail and port security as well as direct aid to local response and police agencies would have gotten $3 billion under Obama’s budget request. They have been given $807 million instead. This year, three of those programs are sending about $80 million to New Jersey. Reason for cut: Lawmakers say federal benefit has not been proven.

Firefighter grants: Obama wanted $810 million, original bill provided $350 million, but Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., led floor fight that raised it to $770 million. Reason for cut: Deficit reduction.

Airport screening: $4.1 billion provided, $152 million less than Obama requested. Rejected were requests for 350 behavioral detection officers, 275 additional body scanners and 510 screeners to operate them. Reason for cut: Obama’s proposed increase in security fees paid by passengers not approved; House also questioning methods used in behavioral detection program.

Container security: Obama wanted a 44 percent reduction in the Container Security Initiative, and to replace the American officers at foreign ports who now check cargo before it is loaded on U.S.-bound ships with a remote target-based system relying on foreign authorities to make requested inspections. Reason cut rejected: Lawmakers say face-to-face relationships would be better, and not all foreign governments could be trusted on inspections.

But the Coast Guard would not get some of the ships it sought to replace in an aging fleet; the Transportation Security Administration would not get additional full-body scanners or “behavioral detection officersâ€

Well good on border security! We don't need fences inside the U.S.A paid
by our tax dollars.
We need profiling and security at all ports of entry. And internal Enforcement by all law enforcement agency's defending, or better yet on offense to rid us of illegal aliens and the fraud, Rape, Murder, assaults on
Our One Nation Under God!
We that have been paying now take away. And Not My Rights!
Home land security department is a modern day Gestapo in my opinion..
All about control and not FREEDOM..........or Security...