Seems like the Homeland Security Bill hasn't been adequately funded by the federal gov't!
Friday, March 14, 2003
feinstein.senate.gov
Senator Dianne Feinstein Calls on Secretary Tom Ridge to Provide Adequate Training, Equipment, and Support for First Responders
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today urged Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to ensure that first responders receive adequate resources to prepare for and respond to a potential terrorist attack. She also asked that those resources be distributed in a timely and fair manner.
Specifically, Senator Feinstein expressed concern that:
There is not enough money for first responders;
Funding is not getting to states and localities fast enough;
Money being routed through states is not being distributed to local jurisdictions in a timely manner; and
California may not receive its fair share of available funds.
In a letter to Secretary Ridge, Senator Feinstein wrote: "I was pleased to learn that you recently announced that $1.3 billion for first responder grants is now ready to distribute, including $566 million for the new Homeland Security Grant Program and $750 million for the existing Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. However, I remain very concerned that we are not providing enough money for first responders, that money is not getting to states and localities fast enough, and that California may not receive its fair share of available funds.
As you know, in February 2002, President Bush proposed spending $3.5 billion to assist first responders–fire, police, and emergency personnel–who will be the first to arrive at the sites of terrorist attacks. This proposal was similar to legislation I had earlier cosponsored, S. 1737, which authorized a comparable amount for the same purpose. However, the Fiscal Year 2003 consolidated spending bill, written by the Republican majority in Congress and the president, only provides about $1 billion in new funding to enable first responders to prepare for and respond to a terrorist attack–less than 1/3 of what the president proposed.
First, I hope you agree with me that $1 billion in new funding for the president’s first responders homeland security initiative is simply inadequate and that you will allocate additional money for this important purpose. In your speech to the National League of Cities a few days ago, you suggested you might. Specifically, you stated that, while you were freeing up $1.3 billion now, ‘the 2003 budget [also] provides us about a billion-plus with the kind of flexibility that we wanted.’ Please consider using some of this billion-plus to make up the difference between what has been appropriated and the $3.5 billion that President Bush called for in his Fiscal Year 2003 budget request.
Second, first responders have been waiting more than a year for the federal government to provide needed dollars for homeland security equipment and training and, as a result, states and localities have had to make up the shortfall. Since September 11, 2001, our nation’s cities alone have spent over $3 billion on homeland security with virtually no federal assistance. States and localities have spent money to ensure security at the nation’s airports; bolstered security at critical infrastructure such as ports, reservoirs, bridges, and power plants; and developed emergency preparedness plans to prevent and respond to possible future terrorist attacks. Partly as a result of these expenses, many states and localities face looming budget deficits, which will inevitably result in the layoffs of police and other personnel. A National League of Cities survey recently found that three of four cities report that their fiscal problems have worsened in the past year, the highest percentage since the 1991-2 recession. The budget shortfall for cities is expected to be $85 billion in 2004.
In spite of this dire situation, the government seems to be moving quite slowly in cutting first responder funding checks–even though Congress appropriated these funds more than a month ago. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, money under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program will not be sent out until July, with more than three-quarters of the fiscal year already gone. Worse, since the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) seems to be moving more slowly than FEMA with regard to grant programs, it could be fall before first responders start receiving checks under the Homeland Security Grant Program and other ODP-administered grant programs.
Third, I am also concerned that a significant proportion of the money appropriated for local homeland security–including money for emergency operations plans, community preparedness, equipment grants, and training activities–will be routed through the states before distribution at the local level. Many local leaders have complained to me that, in Fiscal Year 2002, states did not distribute this money quickly and efficiently, leaving localities starved for funds. I hope that you will monitor this situation to ensure that states do not hoard Fiscal Year 2003 money that they are really only supposed to pass on to local governments.
Fourth, as the senior senator from the nation’s most populous state, I am concerned that California may not be getting its fair share of first responder money. Given that California has about 12 percent of the nation’s population–not to mention a disproportionate share of the country’s critical infrastructure–the state should receive a relatively large part of this money. In Fiscal Year 2002, for example, California received about 11 percent of FEMA’s emergency operations plan and community preparedness funds. Thus, I was concerned to learn that the Department of Homeland Security has allocated California $45,023,000 of the $566,295,000 available under the Homeland Security Grant program–about eight percent of the total. I would appreciate your explanation of why state ceilings were established for this grant program and how you arrived at this $45 million figure.
Mr. Secretary, both of us–you as a former governor and me as a former mayor–have had to make hard budget choices while awaiting slow and often inadequate federal assistance. I know that you understand the difficulties facing state and local leaders around the nation. I hope that you will join me and other senators to ensure that the brave men and women who will be first to respond to a possibly catastrophic terrorist attack have the training, equipment, and support they need to do their jobs. Lives depend on it.
I look forward to your prompt response."
### |
