Defense

House postpones floor fight over FEMA

It's not clear when floor action on bill removing agency from Homeland Security will be rescheduled.

Defense

Chertoff: Terrorism arrests justify shift in security funding

Allegations of plots against Chicago, Miami, show need to spread grants around, Homeland Security chief says.

Defense

Legislator says White House should have vetted security grants

DHS defends controversial decision to cut allocations for New York and Washington, emphasizing risk-driven approach.

Defense

Panel backs bill aimed at regulating truck cargo

Bill would require people transporting security sensitive materials to undergo a fingerprint background check.

Defense

Mayors, lawmakers press for more urban security funds

House and Senate homeland security panel chairs will meet Thursday to find common ground on bill to overhaul grants formula.

Defense

Panel wraps up contentious markup of chemical security bill

The bill would give DHS authority, for the first time, to regulate companies that make, store, process or sell chemicals.

Defense

Fraudulent Katrina aid may exceed $1 billion

GAO revises its estimate of improper payments in FEMA disaster assistance program upward, to as much as $1.4 billion.

Defense

Panel rejects stricter measures to protect chemical plants

Committee defeats several amendments to bill giving DHS authority to regulate facilities making, processing, storing or selling chemicals.

Defense

Chemical industry ready to square off over security bill

Industry says proposed provisions are onerous and duplicative, while environmental and labor groups say they don’t go far enough.

Tech

Panelists question future of cargo-scanning tool

Government needs screening system that can be dialed up or down depending on threat and risk level, former DHS official says.

Defense

Legislators want to hear from domestic spying witness

NSA missed a Friday deadline to provide any legal reason subcommittee leaders can’t interview former intelligence officer.

Tech

Unmanned border flights suspended despite Bush call for more

Bush border plan calls for use of drones to detect illegal crossings, but Border Patrol hasn’t flown one along the southern border since April crash.

Defense

Chertoff warns senators against an independent FEMA

Separation would be costly and would make the government’s response to disasters less coordinated, DHS secretary argues.

Defense

House passes DHS spending bill as outcry continues over grants

Lawmakers ask Michael Chertoff for an explanation of his department’s decision to cut grant awards in some key urban areas.

Defense

Lawmaker calls for CIA center to become independent agency

Center was established last November as the place for collecting and processing "open source intelligence," such as information that is available to the public in newspapers and books.

Defense

House leaders wait as panels feud over FEMA reforms

Disagreement centers on whether the beleaguered agency should be removed from the Homeland Security Department, and associated costs.

Defense

Lawmakers plot retaliation for cuts in anti-terror grants

Grant allocations announced Wednesday represent a 40 percent reduction in urban security funds for New York and Washington.

Defense

Provisions in DHS spending bill would benefit pet projects

Bill includes nearly $175 million not requested by the White House.

Defense

Consortium helping emergency responders would benefit from DHS bill

House spending measure allots $45.6 million more than the Bush administration requested to the consortium.

Defense

Panel demands better oversight of DHS contractors

Congressman suggests investigating backgrounds of executive officers and board directors of small companies before making awards.