I have a bunch of notes from the Michael Chertoff speech today at work, I might try to type some out later. Transcripts should be along tomorrow morning at some point (I will post links here). It was quite an interesting event.
DHS Chief Justifies Funding Cuts To NYC, Washington
He didn’t have to be asked.
Unprompted, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff commenced to explain how the $125 million his agency is giving New York City is not really a cut from the $207 million the city received last year in homeland security funding.
“We look at it cumulatively,” Chertoff offered June 1, a day after his agency announced grants to dozens of U.S. cities.
Over the past four years, New York has received a half billion dollars to bolster its ability to prevent, and if necessary, respond to terrorist attacks. That’s five times more than the second-most funded city, Los Angeles, Chertoff said in address to the Brookings Institution in Washington.
And since 2003, New York’s share of the total in grants handed out has been about 18 percent — the same as the city’s share of the total this year, he said.
The secretary arrived for his talk armed with arguments and statistics amid uproar from states and localities that felt shortchanged May 31 when they were told their share of $1.7 billion given in grants to localities and states.
The loudest outcry came from New York, whose politicians interpreted the $125 million as a 40 percent slash in homeland security support.
“A knife in the back of New York,” cried Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who vowed in the New York Times to “make them very sorry they made this decision.”
Unhappiness reigned in Washington, too, where a $46 million grant was decried as a $31 million cut from last year’s sum.
Chertoff called the allotments “fair to New York” and to other localities.
He said his agency has been trying to improve security in New York and other vulnerable cities for several years, and now it is time to invest in localities that have received little or no assistance so far.
New York is still considered the No. 1 target for terrorists by the Department of Homeland Security, Chertoff said. Los Angeles is No. 2. But so much money has already been granted to those cities that giving them more this year would lead to only marginal improvements, he said. The same money given to other cities that have been less well-funded would yield major security improvements, he said.
“We’re trying to make sure we’re not neglecting cities” that have received little so far, Chertoff said.
Louisville, Omaha, Charlotte, Newark and Jersey City each received substantial percentage increases. Although at $8.5 million for the first three and $34 million in a combined grant for the two New Jersey cities, all still fell far short of New York City in actual dollars.
Louisville, Omaha, Charlotte, Newark and Jersey City each received substantial percentage increases. Although at $8.5 million for the first three and $34 million in a combined grant for the two New Jersey cities, all still fell far short of New York City in actual dollars.
Louisville, Omaha, Charlotte, Newark and Jersey City each received substantial percentage increases. Although at $8.5 million for the first three and $34 million in a combined grant for the two New Jersey cities, all still fell far short of New York City in actual dollars.
screwed that up, lol.
Would love to hear all about it. You have an exciting job.
South Dakota really doesn't need much from Homeland Security. All we have here is Mt. Rushmore and a whole bunch of conservatives. Since we have so few, dark swarthy types really stand out and would immediately become targets of interest. We look out for each other around here and seldom depend on government "help".