The ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee, Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.,
has said the President’s fiscal 2007 budget request of
$42.7 billion for the Homeland Security Department is
inadequate and should be increased by $8 billion.
He said the extra funding is needed to prevent, respond to,
and recover from acts of terrorism and catastrophic natural
disasters, and cited deep flaws in the federal preparedness
and response system exposed last hurricane season.
The administration says its request reflects an increase of
six percent over 2006 levels, but Lieberman says it only
reflects and actual increase of 1.3 percent, adding that
the adjusted figure is below the level of inflation.
The requested increases would include $6.3 billion for DHS’s
budget and $1.8 billion for homeland security programs in
other agencies. That would include $2.8 billion more for
first responders, $1.7 billion more for port security and
the Coast Guard, $1 billion for rail and transit security,
$1 billion for emergency health preparedness programs, and
$150 million for chemical security.
Lieberman also recommended increasing the Administration’s
proposed $934 million for the Coast Guard’s fleet
modernization program — to $1.8 billion to accelerate the
Deepwater program to a ten-year lifecycle.
