Fund Cutoff for DHS System Advances

By: fedweek

The House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security has approved a spending bill for fiscal 2008 that cuts off funds for the alternative DHS personnel system. The action follows approval by the full House of the DHS authorization bill that would end the program as a matter of policy; the appropriations bill would essentially guarantee that policy decision by barring the department from spending money on the initiative. Congress for several years running has restricted the funds for the system but until now had not moved to totally cut them off. The White House threatened to veto the authorization bill over the personnel provision and could do the same with the appropriations bill.