The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week released $121 million in port and transit security grant funding for New York state, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said on Wednesday.
King, who is the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, has been critical of DHS’ withholding of some grant monies from previous fiscal years after the department last week announced its planned FY ’10 homeland security obligations that show decreases for New York (Defense Daily, May 14, May 19). King and other members of New York’s congressional delegation argue that New York City is the top target in the United States for terrorists.
The release of the grant funds “is quite a turnaround by the Department of Homeland Security, which last week slashed New York’s mass transit and port security funding,” King said in a statement Wednesday evening. “On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sent me a letter rationalizing the cuts by accusing New York of not spending money DHS had awarded in past years. It is now clear that much of this money was bottlenecked in the DHS bureaucracy and should have been available for projects to protect mass transit passengers. Hopefully, they’ll come up with more money very soon.”
Of the funds released this week, $80 million was appropriated in FY ’08 and is going to New York State Office of Homeland Security. The remaining money, $41 million, is for use by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The port authority plans to spend $36 million on hardening the PATH rapid rail transit tunnel and $5 million to purchase security cameras, King said.
For the FY ’10 homeland security grants, New York City will get $111 million for the Transit Security Grant Program, 27 percent less than provided in FY ’09. The city will receive $33.8 million this year in port security grants, 25 percent less than in FY ’09.