The Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee on Tuesday recommended a $45.2 billion budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in FY ’13, $1 billion less than the department has in FY ’12.
The mark-up, which will be considered today by the Senate Appropriations Committee, provides $77 million in long-lead material funding for seventh National Security Cutter (NSC) for the Coast Guard and $620 million for production of the sixth NSC. House appropriators also provided long-lead funding for the seventh NSC and production monies for the sixth vessel.
The Obama administration in its FY ’13 budget request for DHS proposes halting, at least temporarily, the NSC program at six ships due to funding constraints and a review of the Navy’s plans to see if synergies can be found with how the Coast Guard operates (Defense Daily, Feb. 16). Huntington Ingalls Industries [HII] builds the NSC for the Coast Guard.
The Senate panel also approved $335 million for six Coast Guard Fast Response Cutters (FRC), two more than House appropriators recommended and four more than the administration requested. Congress approved funding for six FRCs in FY ’12 but the administration decided to build only four this year and wants to carry over $95 million into FY ’13 to keep construction steady at four vessels. The FRC is built by Bollinger Shipyards.
The Senate panel also approved $8 million to initiate acquisition activities for a new polar icebreaker, in line with the Coast Guard’s request.
The proposed bill would provide $7.6 billion for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including funds for 48,000 Transportation Security Officers, 2,000 more than the House appropriators.
The Senate appropriators also include bill language requesting that TSA provide a strategy for how the agency plans to expand the availability of its risk-based screening program called Pre-Check to additional passengers and airports. PreCheck is currently available on a volunteer basis to select frequent fliers of certain United States-based airlines and who are U.S. citizens and also U.S. citizens enrolled in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trusted traveler programs.
TSA maintains a separate screening lane for PreCheck members at certain airport security checkpoints, enabling them to receive expedited screening benefits, although there is no guarantee of going through this lane. The Senate panel approved $7 million for PreCheck.
In addition, the Senate panel also requires TSA to expand its Known Crewmember program to flight attendants. Known Crewmember is currently limited to airline pilots and provides them with expedited screening benefits at airports as they transition into the secure area.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would receive $12 billion under the Senate panel’s plan, which like the House, supports 21,370 Border Patrol Agents and 21,186 CBP officers.
The recommended budget for CBP would add $71 million above the request for the Office of Air and Marine, including one additional multi-role enforcement aircraft, enhanced radar for unmanned aircraft systems, and $19 million to increase flight hours.
The Senate appropriators would also provide $18 million to support the transfer from CBP for visa overstay analysis as part of the US-VISIT program.
The DHS Science and Technology (S&T) branch would receive $831 million from the Senate proposals, $6 million more than what the House appropriators are suggesting, a $163 million hike over FY ’12 levels and in line with FY ’11 spending. The House appropriators actually added over $2 million to the administration’s request for research and development (R&D) funding within the S&T branch, but cut $8 million from the request for management expenses.
In the House appropriators report accompanying their version of the FY ’13 Homeland Security Bill, the R&D and Innovation funding for S&T’s components is largely lumped together to allow the agency to determine how to apportion the funds. The R&D and Innovation account is actually cut by about $73 million by the House appropriators to $405.5 million while funding for laboratory facilities is increased by $75 million.
The House report says the $405.5 million “would allow S&T to fully fund all projects that were at a reduced level in fiscal year 2012, restart half of its requested projects currently on ‘hold,’ and consider new R&D projects that offer the potential of novel and more cost effective solutions to DHS challenges.”
For the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), the Senate appropriators would provide $328 million, about $64 million more than requested and about $12 million than the House appropriators recommend.
The Senate provision includes $22 million for the Security the Cities program, the same as the House, and $28 million for handheld portable radiation detectors, also in line with the House. Both amounts were requested by DNDO.
For cyber security programs within the National Protection and Programs Directorate, the Senate appropriators recommend $755 million, about $14 million less than requested and $6 million more than the House would provide. While the Senate appropriators haven’t published their report accompanying the FY ’13 bill, the House report shows a cut of $17 million to the request for Network Security Deployment due to concerns over the National Cyber Security Division’s ability to obligate funds.
The Senate bill would provide $125 million for the BioWatch biological threat detection program, in line with the request but about $40 million more than the House recommends. The Senate bill would withhold funds for the Generation-3 BioWatch effort until DHS certifies that “continued development is prudent.” The House in its report says it is concerned about Gen-3 program delays and unspent funds.
If DHS decides to go forward with Gen-3, which is an automated detection and alerting system, the House recommends adding the unspent funds to the $85.4 million it recommends for BioWatch in FY ’13.