Cities lament lack of homeland security funding

As the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaches, many cities find themselves on the front lines in the war against terrorism without the money to carry out their new mission.

"Cities are the natural targets for this evolving terrorist threat, and we have risen to the challenge of protecting citizens over the past year," National League of Cities President Karen Anderson said last week. "But even though cities are at the very center of homeland security, they seem to be an afterthought when it comes to federal and state priorities for providing funding and communicating key information."

Biological, chemical and cyberterrorism top cities' concerns about terrorist threats, according to a recent survey of 725 cities by the NLC. But many cities are facing economic hard times, and about two-thirds say they need money for equipment and training to deal with the new threats.

The $28.9 billion supplemental spending bill signed into law last month included grants for state and local governments through the Justice Department's First Responder and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's emergency preparedness programs. But states have yet to see that money or even-in some cases-funds allocated last year.

And some of the $5.1 billion that President Bush rejected in this fiscal year's supplemental funding included money for homeland security efforts such as firefighting grants, emergency communications equipment, police equipment and training, and security improvements at nuclear plants, ports, dams and reservoirs.

As a result, state and local governments "are looking in the mailbox every day and it's empty," Frank Shafroth, director of federal-state relations for the National Governors Association, told CongressDaily. "They are told the check is in the mail."

So state and local officials are spending with the hope they will be reimbursed by the federal government. And they do not know whether this is a short-term scrimmage or a long-term battle, Shafroth says. He asked, "Does the war on terrorism end on Sept. 30, 2003?"

Several members of Congress are trying to ensure that cities and states get the help they need.

"One of the many lessons we learned on Sept. 11 is that we need to provide additional resources and better coordination to the men and women who are the first on the scene of a disaster," Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., said this summer, introducing the "First Responder Terrorism Preparedness Act" (S. 2664) with Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H.

The bill provides $3.5 billion for a new grant program administered by FEMA. The money would go through the states, with at least 75 percent going to local governments. The funds could be used for training, equipment, exercises, constructing or upgrading emergency operations centers and training facilities. It also calls for a new Office of National Preparedness at FEMA.

The measure cleared the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee-which Jeffords chairs-in June and could be offered this week on the Senate floor as an amendment to the Homeland Security bill (H.R. 5005). Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. Michael McNulty, both New York Democrats, have taken a different approach, creating a homeland security block grant. Their bills (S. 2038 and H.R. 4059) call for $3.5 billion in federal funds to help communities pay for homeland security needs. FEMA would allocate the money to help communities improve emergency response and public safety.

"As New Yorkers, we understand that the burden of homeland security comes with a hefty price tag," Clinton said at a March news conference introducing the bill. "Communities should not be forced to shoulder these costs alone. Our homeland security can only be as strong as the weakest link at the state and local level."

The bills' sponsors say it differs from the president's proposal by providing money directly to the communities, rather than through state and federal bureaucracies. Bush included $3.5 billion in his fiscal 2003 budget for local first responders.

Of the money in the Clinton and McNulty bills, $3 billion is for towns, cities and counties, with 70 percent going to medium-sized and larger communities and metropolitan counties. The rest will go to the states to distribute to smaller communities and to develop communications systems.

While few argue with the importance of ensuring cities are up to the task in the war against terrorism, the fight for funds in the waning days of the 107th Congress might be a battle lawmakers leave for another day.