To steer more antiterrorism money to high-risk communities, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security slashed money for New York and Washington, D.C., 40 percent, while other cities including Omaha and Louisville, got a surge of new dollars, reports the New York Times. The release of the 2006 “urban area” grants, which total $711 million, was condemned by leaders in Washington and New York. “When you stop a terrorist, they have a map of New York City in their pocket,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. “They don’t have a map of any of the other 46 or 45 places.”
Homeland security officials said the grants were a result of a more sophisticated evaluation process, combined with a smaller overall allocation of money from Congress. For the first time, law enforcement officials cut grants for cities that had shoddy or poorly articulated plans. Gail Braun, grant administrator in Omaha, is pleased that the department also recognized the needs of smaller cities. In Omaha, the $8.3 million will be invested primarily in emergency communications equipment and training. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said the allocation formula was flawed. “This is indefensible,” he said. “It’s a knife in the back to New York, and I’m going to do everything I can to make them very sorry they made this decision.”
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/01/washington/01security.html