Defining homeland security: Where is the money?

Mar 1, 2002 12:00 PM

           

President Bush has promised to “spend whatever it takes to win the war against terrorism,” and then called on Congress to nearly double the allotted money for homeland security. It would be the largest increase in defense spending in 20 years.

“Every budget reflects fundamental choices, and my administration has made choices to fit the times,” the President said in a radio address. “We'll protect our people in every way necessary, and we will carry our campaign against global terror until we achieve our goal: That peace comes from victory.”

Bush will ask Congress to approve an extra $48 billion for U.S. military forces and another $38 billion earmarked for homeland security.

In an effort to further define what defending the homeland involves, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office started by reporting that the federal government will spend $22.2 billion on domestic security this year.

According to an Associated Press report, Democrats and Republicans are beginning to realize that whoever defines this area of spending can use the designation to protect favored programs or expose others to cuts.

The CBO reports that one-third of the $22.2 billion will be spent to protect military installations, nuclear materials and other government facilities. Another 22 percent will be spent by the government to purchase vaccines and give grants to local law enforcement, and more than 21 percent is devoted to intelligence and federal enforcement.

The CBO says its definition of domestic security is based on the categories in which the money will be spent. In a briefing, CBO director Dan Crippen said he believed the White House's definition of homeland security excludes some categories of spending that the CBO included.

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