Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee
chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, offered qualified praise of
the President’s 2007 budget request for the Department of
Homeland Security, saying she planned to work with DHS, her
House counterparts and the appropriations committee to
address shortcomings in the budget and appropriations process.
“I am pleased that the President has made homeland security
funding a priority,” Collins said.
“It provides increases for customs and border protection and
immigration and customs enforcement to better protect our
borders and to help bring an end to the ‘catch and release’
practice of not detaining illegal aliens caught by law
enforcement officers,” she added.
Collins said she supported the budget for prioritizing
intelligence gathering and analysis at the department, as well
as the creation of an office to strengthen the security of
chemical facilities nationwide.
Collins sponsored legislation with committee ranking member
Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., that would authorize DHS to establish
performance-based standards to enhance the security of chemical
plants that pose the greatest risk.
However, Collins said she opposed cuts to grants to states and
local governments, police, firefighters, and other first responders
in the budget proposal.
She also said the budget does not adequately fund the Coast Guard’s
Deepwater program, and said reduced funding for the Air and Marine
programs within Customs and Border Protection is a similar problem.
DHS officials will testify before the committee on the fiscal year
2007 budget on March 1, 2006.
