States Are Not Spending Their Anti - Terror Money

After Sept. 11, 2001, grant programs were created to tighten security and pay for the equipment and training responders would need for emergencies, however nearly a third of all the money paid out to cities and states to combat terrorism since 9/11 has gone unspent by police and emergency workers who would respond to future attacks and natural disasters.^[1] That's almost $5 billion out of $16.04 billion in grants that were approved by Congress for states and the District of Columbia from fiscal 2002 to 2007 remains in federal coffers, according to Homeland Security Department budget figures.^[2]

This has fueled concerns in Congress that the federal government has been dishing out money faster than state and local governments can spend it.^[3] Indiana, for example, has not been able to spend 27.3 percent of the $272 million in federal anti-terrorism money awarded to them by the government, second most in the region.^[4] States say there are many reasons for the backlog. In some cases, equipment is back ordered; in others, money is obligated for multiyear projects, such as upgrading communications systems.^[5] "Why put billions more dollars in the hopper when it's full already?" asks Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., the top Republican on the House Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee.^[6]

In its fiscal 2008 budget request to Congress, the Bush administration asked for $2.2 billion for the grant programs.^[7] But the House voted to nearly double that amount, and the Senate is poised to do the same next month.^[8]

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^[1] Mimi Hall, Billions in security funding still unspent, USA Today (via Indystar.com), June 26, 2007, available at http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070626/NATIONWORLD/706260383/-1/LOCAL17 (last visited June 26, 2007).
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] Id.