First-responder funding snipped to fund border security

Senate appropriators on Tuesday bolstered funding for border security by shifting money from grant programs for police officers, firefighters and other first responders.

The Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee agreed by voice vote to make the changes to President Bush's fiscal 2006 budget proposal.

The full Appropriations Committee is slated to mark up the bill Thursday.

"The essence of the bill is that we should address threats," said Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., adding that the panel cut funding for the first-responder grant programs because states and communities have not spent $7 billion from previous years.

"It's foolish to put more money into that system," he said. The federal government has poured billions of dollars into the grant programs since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but Gregg said the "tail has not caught up with the head."

The House recently passed its version of the spending bill and met Bush's request of $3.6 billion for first responders. The Senate bill reduced the amount to $3.5 billion.

Border security programs would receive $600 million more than Bush requested, totaling $9.8 billion.

The panel directed the department to use the funding to hire 1,000 more border agents to reach the goal of 10,000 more agents over the next 10 years.

Gregg said the Homeland Security Department also would spend the increased funding on expanding training facilities, adding 2,200 more detention beds to hold illegal immigrants and increase the number of U.S. Customs and immigration enforcement officers.

"Within a year, a year and a half, we will effectively detain anyone entering the country illegally," Gregg said.

The bill requires the department to combine the strengthened manpower with cutting-edge technology along the borders.

"There is no point in having people all along the border when a lot can be done with technology," Gregg said.

Overall, the legislation would provide $30.8 billion in discretionary spending for the department and its programs -- $1.2 billion below last year's enacted level. The decrease in funding does not include $2.5 billion the agency received last year in advance Project Bioshield funds.

Senate appropriators also snipped funding from the Transportation Security Administration's budget to bolster border security. Unlike House appropriators, the Senate panel saved the Coast Guard's Deepwater program.

The House slashed nearly $500 million from the 20-year, multibillion dollar initiative because the agency failed to produce for lawmakers a comprehensive report. The Deepwater program aims to modernize the agency's fleet of cutters and helicopters. In the Senate bill, the Coast Guard would receive $7.9 billion, while the House bill would allocate $7.5 billion. Senate appropriators pared $60 million from Bush's request for the program. Gregg said while the bill does not include earmarks for local projects, the panel did "fence" off money to give the department direction on spending.