Out in the Cold?
The cities of New York and Washington will get less money in this year’s allocation of Homeland security grants, drawing criticism from politicians in both areas.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced the recipients of $1.7 billion distributed through various programs to help states and cities prepare for potential terror attacks and natural disasters.
Department officials have changed the criteria used to award money under their programs, saying that instead of looking at population, they are trying to focus more on where risks exist. They are also taking into account how well municipalities have used past grants.
The department says there is risk throughout the nation and that preparedness dollars need to be spread out.
One of the more controversial programs is the department’s Urban Areas Security Initiative, which is aimed at cities and for which $757 million is being distributed.
New York and Washington are getting less under that program this year. New York, for example, will receive nearly $125 million, a reduction of about $83 million.
Homeland Security officials point out, however, that New York is still the largest recipient in the program.
Washington Mayor Anthony Williams told reporters he was disappointed that funding for the city and its suburbs was dropping from $77 million to $46 million, according to a report by CNN.
A Homeland Security Department official, responding to lawmakers’ anger over the cuts to New York and Washington, says the department’s funding allocations to cities are in line with Congress’ direction to distribute grants by risk.
Congress cut the Homeland Security grants program by about $800 million for this fiscal year, which the department says forced it to make many cuts.
At the same time, the department is doing a better job of analyzing risk, says Terry Henke, Homeland Security assistant secretary for grants and training. More states and areas are doing a better job analyzing what potential terrorist targets they have and are making a better case for why they need federal dollars to tighten security measures, she says.
Both those factors mean high-profile cities like Washington and New York will get less funding this year and cities such as Houston and Newark, N.J., will receive grant funding hikes.
“The pie is smaller, and we’re much better today at analyzing risk than we have been in the past,” Henke told Federal Times in a June 1 interview, one day after the grant announcements drew scorn and anger from Capitol Hill. “It’s exactly what Congress and the American people asked us to do.”
Homeland Security’s risk assessments consider an area’s assets — such as bridges, power plants and monuments — and other factors such as proximity to international borders or military bases. DHS reviewed 200,000 assets nationwide — 7,000 in New York City alone.
To help federal officials make the allocation decisions, Homeland Security officials from throughout the nation participated in panels that reviewed various applications for grants and then made recommendations. The final decision, though, was left to the federal department.
The department says the funds can be used for planning, organization, equipment, training, exercises, management and administration costs.
STATE-BY-STATE
Here how much each city will receive in Homeland security funding, as reported by The Associated Press.
ARIZONA Phoenix: $3.9 million in 2006, $9.9 million in 2005.
CALIFORNIA Anaheim/Santa Ana: $11.9 million, down from $19.8 million; San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose-Bay Area: $28.3 million, $33 million; Los Angeles/Long Beach: $80.6 million, $69 million; Sacramento: $7.3 million from $6 million; San Diego: $7.9 million from $14.7 million.
COLORADO Denver: $4.3 million, down from $8.7 million.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (encompasses the National Capital Region, including Washington and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs). $46.4 million from $77.5 million.
FLORIDA Ft. Lauderdale: $9.9 million, from zero; Jacksonville: $9.2 million, from $6.8 million; Miami: $15.9 million, from $15.8 million; Orlando: $9.4 million, from zero; Tampa: $8.8 million, from $7.7 million.
GEORGIA Atlanta: $18.6 million, from $13.1 million.
HAWAII Honolulu: $4.7 million, from $6.4 million.
ILLINOIS Chicago: $52.2 million, from $45 million.
INDIANA Indianapolis: $4.3 million, from $5.6 million.
KENTUCKY Louisville: $8.5 million, from $5 million.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: $3.7 million, from $5.2 million; New Orleans: $4.6 million, from $9.3 million.
MASSACHUSSETS Boston: $18.2 million, from $26 million.
MARYLAND Baltimore: $9.6 million, from $11.3 million.
MICHIGAN Detroit: $18.6 million, from $17 million.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis/St. Paul: $4.3 million, from $5.7 million.
MISSOURI Kansas City: $9.2 million, from $8.2 million; St. Louis: $9.2 million, from $7 million.
NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte: $8.9 million, from $5.4 million.
NEBRASKA Omaha: $8.3 from $5.1 million.
NEW JERSEY Jersey City/Newark: $34.3 million, from $19 million.
NEVADA Las Vegas: $7.7 million, from $8.4 million.
NEW YORK Buffalo: $3.7 million, from $7.2 million; New York City: $124 million, from $207 million.
OHIO Cincinnati: $4.6 million, from $5.8 million; Cleveland: $4.7 million, from $7.3 million; Columbus: $4.3 million, from $7.5 million; Toledo: $3.8 million, from $5.3 million.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: $4.1 million, from $5.5 million.
OREGON Portland: $9.3 million, from $10.3 million.
PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: $19.5 million, from $22.8 million; Pittsburgh: $4.8 million, from $9.6 million.
TENNESSEE Memphis: $4.2 million, from zero.
TEXAS Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington: $13.8 million, from $24 million; Houston: $16.6 million, from $18.5 million; San Antonio: $4.4 million, from $5.9 million.
WASHINGTON Seattle: $9.1 million, from $11.8 million.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: $8.5 million, from $6.3 million.
