Democrats are angry that the Republican-led Senate
Appropriations Committee last month voted to cut rail and transit security
grants to state and local
governments by $50 million, down to $100 million.
The House of Representatives passed its own version of the homeland
security bill in May that would maintain the funding at the current level
of $150 million.
Senate Democrats also say funding for so-called first responders,
including police and firefighters who are the first to respond to
terrorist attacks, is inadequate in the Senate bill.
Warning that bombings similar to the London transit system attack could
happen on U.S. soil, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, urged his
colleagues to restore cuts in rail security and first responder
funding.
"While the threat we face is massive, and it is clear, our
response to dealing with it is tepid and unfocused. It will take a
commitment of energy, imagination, and yes, more funding, to better secure
our homeland," Mr. Byrd says.
Democrats note that the aviation industry has received about $18
billion in federal funding since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
while ground transit agencies have received about $250 million.
Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, plans to offer an
amendment that would increase
funding for rail and transit security to $200 million.
But Republicans argue the best way to protect homeland security is by
pre-empting attacks.
Senator Judd Gregg is a New Hampshire Republican. He says, ""Yes, we
can have more bomb dogs and have more surveillance systems, and we should
do that. But as a practical matter, the way you protect your mass transit
systems, is the same way you protect other infrastructure systems, it is
through aggressive and robust intelligence. The best place to get
intelligence quite honestly is where these breeding grounds occur of these
terrorists, Iraq and Afghanistan. So that war in Iraq and Afghanistan is,
as the President has pointed out a number of times, taking the war to them
to find them before they can find us."
But Democrats insist that fighting terrorism must be done on two
fronts. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada is the Senate's top Democrat.
"We spend more in Iraq in a single month than we spend on first
responders all year. Failure in Iraq is not an option, and we will
continue to support our troops, but we must do more to support the war on
terror here at home," he says.
The homeland security bill would, among other things, enhance border
protection, immigration enforcement, and air cargo security. A vote on the
overall legislation could come as early as this week.
Late Monday, the Senate passed a resolution condemning the London
bombings and expressing solidarity with the British people.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee says, "On behalf of the
United States Senate and the American people, we express our heartfelt
condolences to the victims, their families and the British people, our
cousins across the Atlantic."
In the House of Representatives, the Intelligence Committee met behind
closed doors to discuss the bombings. |