The House last Thursday evening recommended by a vote of 234-182 a $39.1 billion budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in FY ’13 although senior White House advisers said they would recommend the president veto the measure citing political concerns and proposed changes in some spending areas.
The Senate must still approve its version if the FY ’13 Homeland Security Appropriations bill and then the House and Senate must negotiate their differences before sending a final bill to President Obama to consider.
The House approved spending plan, which is put forth in H.R. 5855, is $393 million below the administration’s request and $484 million less than FY ’12.
In a Statement of Administration Policy issued last Wednesday ahead of the House vote, the White House said that “the bill undermines key investments in homeland security, including cuts to aviation security activities, reductions to critical grant programs, and elimination of key consolidation efforts to improve operations across [DHS] enterprise operations. The Administration also strongly objects to the inclusion of ideological and political provisions that are beyond the scope of funding legislation.”
The “ideological and political provisions” that the administration opposes include several riders in the bill limiting the use of federal funds for abortion services, a section that limits the use of funds related to the transfer of alleged terrorists to be prosecuted in the federal court system, and a section over the preparation of privacy reports by DHS.
“The continued prosecution of terrorists in Federal court is an essential element of counterterrorism efforts—a powerful tool that must remain an available option,” the White House says. “Such restrictions or interferences would, in certain circumstances, violate constitutional separation of powers principles.”
As for the administration’s concerns with budgetary matters in the bill, some of the objections include a House proposal to cut $50 million from the funding request for Federal Air Marshals, saying this will mean reduced coverage on high-risk flights, a lack of funding to continue investing in the DHS headquarters consolidation and to consolidate the DHS Data Center.
The administration also opposes the addition of incremental funding for a seventh Coast Guard National Security Cutter, saying “the use of incremental funding rather than the full funding requested for FY 2013 undermines program stability and long-term cost discipline.” Other objections to the bill include a failure to include a proposed National Preparedness Grant Program, additional funding for detention beds administered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, rejection of an administration plan to transfer portions of the US-VISIT entry-exit monitoring program to Customs and Border Protection, a move Senate appropriators support and a civilian pay freeze.
The spending approved with over 20 amendments, including one sponsored by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), that would prohibit funds for arming DHS unmanned aerial vehicles. This amendment was approved en bloc by voice vote. An amendment sponsored by Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) that directs $10 million to TSA’s Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which trains flight deck officers in firing weapons, was approved by voice vote.