Supplemental may ease need to boost 2008 security funds

A key House Republican appropriator suggested Thursday that the Homeland Security Department's fiscal 2008 budget might not need to be increased, and could possibly be decreased, if billions of dollars for domestic homeland security programs are included in the emergency supplemental spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

House Democrats inserted $2.5 billion in the supplemental bill for various homeland security programs and about $4.3 billion for disaster relief and oversight, according to an appropriations fact sheet.

House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said he believes the additional funding will spill over into next fiscal year, which might affect how appropriators put together the Homeland Security Department's fiscal 2008 budget.

"It will give us some head room," said Rogers, who has a generally favorable view of this additional spending in the supplemental.

But Democrats view the funding as critical to bringing homeland security spending up to levels they pushed for when they were in the minority. They also seem eager to add even more money for fiscal 2008 now that they're in the majority.

"Some may say that we should delay these funding initiatives, but I know of few who will argue that they should not be done," said House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Price, D-N.C.

One of Price's aides took issue with Rogers' analysis, saying, "The intent of including homeland security funding in the supplemental was not to take pressure off the upcoming fiscal 2008 bill."

"Most of the provisions are simply catching up on emergency security priorities that should have been taken care of long ago," the aide said. "The fiscal 2008 appropriations bill for Homeland Security will reflect the needs of the department for that fiscal year, as determined by the committee and based on the resources the subcommittee is provided."

The full House is expected to vote on the supplemental next week.

"The supplemental contains $1.25 billion to improve aviation explosive detection, which will double the amount of air cargo that is screened for explosives and would support the piloting of more passenger checkpoint explosive detection systems," Price said.

The bill also includes $515 million to boost homeland security grant programs. With that, spending on port security grants would reach $400 million this year, which is the amount authorizers approved in major maritime security legislation enacted last fall.

Spending on passenger and freight rail security grants would also reach $400 million, which is more than double current spending levels.

In addition, the bill would provide $400 million for the acquisition of radiation detection technologies at U.S. ports of entry to screen cargo before it enters the United States. And funding for emergency management performance grants would be boosted to $100 million, twice the current level.

But the bill would restrict the Coast Guard from obligating additional funds for its fleet modernization program until the agency submits a detailed management and expenditure plan.

Rogers said he objects to some provisions in the bill, and plans to raise his concerns when the legislation is on the House floor.

He said one of his biggest objections is to a provision dealing with regulating the nation's chemical facilities. That provision would require chemical facility security plans to meet or exceed security standards set by state or local governments.

"I don't think any of it is emergency spending," Rogers said of all the homeland security riders in the bill.

Price disagreed. "I would simply say that these are carefully drafted, legitimate emergency security provisions," he said. "They have already been dangerously deferred, and there is no good reason to wait further to make the country more secure."