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Feds Slash Antiterrorism Funds for D.C., New York
The latest round of U.S. Homeland Security Department terrorism preparedness grants includes major funding reductions for New York City and the Washington, D.C. area, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Jan. 4). The agency announced yesterday it would distribute $1.7 billion in fiscal 2006 to improve preparedness and response capabilities among states, urban areas and territories. The outlay includes funding for 46 metropolitan regions under the Urban Areas Security Initiative. The national capital region — which includes the District of Columbia and nearby communities in Maryland and Virginia — received $46 million, down from $77 million in fiscal 2005. Funding for New York City dropped from $207 million to $124 million. State and local officials quickly expressed their dismay. “As far as I’m concerned, the Department of Homeland Security and the administration have declared war on New York,” said Representative Peter King (R-N.Y.). “It’s a knife in the back to New York, and I’m going to do everything I can to make them very sorry they made this decision.” “I think it’s shortsighted for the federal government to cut funds this way,” Washington Mayor Anthony Williams said. “We remain a target area.” Also hit were San Diego, which experienced a 46-percent funding drop; Phoenix, where the grant level was down by 61 percent; and Boston, which saw a 30-percent reduction. The grant money for New Orleans also dropped from $9.3 million to $4.6 million, the Post reported. The cuts allowed the department to increase funds for Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles, along with smaller cities such as Charlotte, N.C., Louisville, Ky., and St. Louis. The distribution of terrorism preparedness funds for this fiscal year was based on risk scores, effectiveness tests and advice from 17 panels consisting of homeland security personnel from 47 states. The review process was intended to ensure that the areas of highest risk received adequate funding, which led experts and government officials to anticipate more grant money for Washington and New York. An improved review process produced the grant distribution, said Tracy Henke, Homeland Security assistant secretary for grants and training. It is not an indication of reduced danger for large cities, she said. Such cities still receive the major cut of the program funding, officials said. “We have to understand that there is risk throughout the nation,” Henke said. “We worked very hard to make sure there was fairness in the process” (Eggen/Sheridan, Washington Post, June 1).
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