NITA LOWEY FOR CONGRESS

The Department of Homeland Security announced its fiscal 2010 grants Thursday, drawing criticism from New York lawmakers who say awards should be based on the threat of a terrorist attack—and make New York City a top priority.

“The attempted attack on Times Square is evidence that New York needs more federal help to prevent terrorism, not less,” said Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y., echoing comments made the previous day by House Homeland Security Committee ranking Republican Peter T. King, also of New York. King characterized the awards as a decrease in funding.

Obama administration officials, however, said the lawmakers’ concerns do not take into account the nearly $100 million in stimulus money (PL 111-5) awarded to New York’s metropolitan area for port and transit security in 2009. In fact, the city received one out of every three of those security-related stimulus dollars, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said.

Between the stimulus money and Congress’ fiscal 2010 appropriation, New York City received $245 million—$47 million more than the previous fiscal year’s budget, Shapiro said. In addition, the administration contends, much of that money has not been spent. A federal official said the city has drawn down only about $4,500 of the $49 million it received in fiscal 2009 port security grants, and none of the $147 million in transit security grants from that year.

The grants have become an annual thorn in the side of the New York delegation. Last year, Lowey introduced legislation that would change the funding formula for security-related grants to urban areas. The bill (HR 4182), which was cosponsored by New York Democrat Jerrold Nadler and referred to the House Homeland Security Committee, would make the threat of terrorism equal to the other considerations the administration uses to decide Urban Area Security Initiative awards. The Government Accountability Office briefed members of Congress on problems with the department’s risk-assessments in December 2008.

DHS did not release urban-area awards on Thursday but is expected to do so in coming weeks, Lowey said. When the administration dos announce the awards, it should be sure to provide New York and other high-risk cities with appropriate levels of funding, she said.

Meanwhile, Lowey said, the fiscal 2011 budget should increase the amount of urban area money. As the sole New Yorker on the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, she is circulating a letter among her delegation urging David E. Price, D-N.C., chairman of the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, to provide a total of $1.15 million for the urban area program. The number is about quarter more than the administration has requested, said her spokesman Matthew Dennis.

Lowey’s letter also asks for additional money for homeland security and transit security grants and $40 million for a Domestic Nuclear Detection Office program to install nuclear detection monitors around the NYC metro area known as Securing the Cities.

In DHS’s Thursday announcement, the department itemized $790 million in awards this fiscal year.

They include:

• $252.4 million for transit security;
• $11.5 million for bus security;
• $288 million for port security;
• $48 million to safeguard critical infrastructure such as chemical and nuclear power plants;
• $57.6 million for state and local emergency operations centers;
• $48 million for first responders interoperable communications equipment;
• $48 million to create secure driver’s licenses.

     By Lowey’s calculation, the awards result in a $50 million decrease in money for NYC, not counting stimulus money.  The decrease sets a bad precedent, her spokesman said.

     “We can’t establish a new normal basically, where the overall program funding level is going down,” Dennis said.  “Basically there’s that and there’s the possibility of a dilution of the money.  Our contention is the highest-risk areas need to be funded first.”