The House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee (HAC-HS) yesterday approved a $38.9 billion bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in FY ’14, a measure that moves funding from headquarters construction and management and curtails initial construction plans for a new agro-biological facility in favor of funding first responder grant programs and recapitalization needs of components such as the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection.
The bill, which is $34.9 million below the Obama administration’s request, is likely to be taken up by the full Appropriations Committee next week. The measure was adopted by voice vote and members withheld any amendments until the bill is considered by the full committee.
In their markup of the bill, the subcommittee rejected a proposal by the administration to consolidate first responder grants into a single bucket in favor of separate appropriations, including $1.5 billion for state and local grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a $35 million increase over FY ‘13. Members of the House and Senate in their public statements are generally against the consolidation of grant programs and feared that the state and local grants, which officials in Boston and Massachusetts lauded as necessary in the wake of the marathon bombings last month, would suffer as a result.
The bill also cuts the request for initial construction funding of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility by nearly $454 million to $404 million. The NBAF will focus on animal borne diseases that can affect the nation’s food supply and it would replace the existing Plum Island facility. The funding for NBAF is contained within the DHS Science and Technology Directorate.
The panel also fully funded the administration’s $467 million request for research and development funding of S&T’s Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is $67 million above the FY ’13 level.
The bill also contains no funding for construction of the new DHS headquarters, which is already under construction, and cuts funding for other management needs. These cuts will ultimately lead to cost increases and eventually impact front line operations, Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), the ranking member on the subcommittee, said at the markup.
Price added, though, that overall the markup as a whole is an improvement from the budget request.
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), chairman of the subcommittee, said during the markup that 50 percent of the funding for DHS’ executive offices is being fenced while offices that are delaying the submittal of reports due to Congress are having their spending requests cut in half.
The Coast Guard’s acquisition account would receive about $250 million more in the subcommittee’s plan than the administration requested, $1.2 billion versus $951 million, with the increases going toward additional aircraft and two additional Fast Response Cutter patrol boats (Defense Daily, May 16).