By Calvin Biesecker
The House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee yesterday allotted $43.9 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in FY ’11, representing a $1.1 billion, or 2.6 increase, to the FY ’10 budget.
The subcommittee’s proposed top line budget for DHS is slightly higher than the Obama administration’s $43.6 billion request (Defense Daily, Feb. 2).
Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), chairman of the panel, said that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is getting the largest budget increase within the department, 6 percent. The agency’s budget includes funding for 503 Advanced Imaging Technology body scanners and for the hiring of 5,355 new screeners to operate this equipment.
TSA would also get funds for portable explosive trace detectors and 275 more canine teams for bomb detection. The subcommittee is also providing $85 million for the Secure Flight watchlist checking program.
Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Secure Border Initiative (SBI) was pared back in yesterday’s mark, receiving $430 million for investments in fencing, infrastructure and the surveillance technology component of the program called SBInet. The administration is seeking $574 million for SBI in FY ’11, about $225 million less than in FY ’10.
DHS Chief Janet Napolitano earlier this year halted spending on further deployments of SBInet beyond two current sectors of the nation’s southwest border pending the completion and results of a program review.
The subcommittee’s mark fully funds the deployment of 20,370 Border Patrol agents and the requested increase of nearly $45 million for an additional 389 CBP Officers and mission support staff. CBP would also get another $7 million to enhance the systems and capacity of the National Targeting Center to deal with expanded passenger and cargo screening.
The markup, which must still be approved by the full committee, the House, and then agreed to in conference with the Senate, includes $10.2 billion for the Coast Guard, about $100 million more than requested. The subcommittee restores proposed cuts to the Coast Guard’s budget, including for personnel, two Hamilton-class 378-foot High Endurance Cutters, and five HH-65 Dolphin helicopters.
And with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent spill in mind, the panel provides $38.5 million above the request to enhance the Coast Guard’s rig inspection and spill response capacity, and to develop advanced oil spill control and cleanup technologies.
For grants to states and localities, the proposed bill provides $4.2 billion, a $151 million increase above the request. The bill provides $907 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative, $840 million for Firefighter Assistance, and $2 billion for disaster relief activities.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would get $5.6 billion, of which $2.1 billion is directed to indentifying dangerous criminal aliens and their removal once an immigration judge orders them deported.
The agency would get an additional $14 million for programs that support the Southwest Border Initiative, which is aimed at cracking down on Mexican drug cartels by improving border security. The additional funds would go to efforts such as the Border Enforcement Security Task Force initiative, southwest border intelligence analysis, and investigations related to criminal gang, drub, weapons smuggling and human trafficking.
ICE would also receive $37 million for its Visa Security Units, which are based overseas to stop those seeking to exploit the United States’ visa process.