Senate-$3.6B for Homeland Sec - but no increase for Cities at high risk

[papau]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21582-2004Sep14.html

Senate Nears Passage of $36B for Security (after voting against giving additional money to cities considered at high risk of terrorist attacks)

By ALAN FRAM
The Associated Press
Tuesday, September 14, 2004; 9:15 PM

WASHINGTON - The Senate rejected Democratic efforts to boost anti-terrorism spending for big cities Tuesday and neared approval of legislation financing the Homeland Security Department next year.

The price tag of the measure grew to about $36 billion as senators bowed to pressure from farm-state lawmakers and added $2.9 billion to help growers and livestock producers - mostly in the Midwest - suffering from drought.

The bill provides federal aid for anti-terror efforts by local police, fire and emergency-responder departments, as well as to the government's border security, immigration and other domestic security programs. Overall, the measure would exceed Bush's request for such programs by more than $1 billion.

With elections less than two months off, Democrats were hoping the GOP would find it painful to vote against a series of amendments to boost security spending. But for the most part, Republicans fended off such amendments, such as one by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., to add $625 million to the $875 million in the bill for cities considered at high risk of terrorist attacks.

"My sense is Democrats are proposing them for political purposes," Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said in an interview. "We need a balance between providing money for homeland security, and keeping deficits from going higher." <snip>

[Rose Siding]

1. The red states thank the blue states for their generosity

Nah...The NYFD union says "wonderful! kick us again, Dear Leader"

[papau]

2. Security as a pork barrel bill to give to the welfare states.

sigh ....