border security plan

Senators face trade offs to fund border security plan

“Senate appropriators announced funding cuts Tuesday for several major homeland security programs to cover costs associated with the high-priced Republican-driven plan to boost personnel and infrastructure to secure the nation's borders. The Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee agreed unanimously to provide about $31.7 billion in discretionary spending in its version of the fiscal 2007 Homeland Security spending bill. But appropriators were unable to fill gaps in the budget, leaving the spending plan about $515 million below what the White House requested, and about $350 million less than the amount approved by the House, aides said. As a result of the budget shortfall, Gregg said the subcommittee was unable to provide funding for an acceleration of the Coast Guard Integrated Deepwater System program; could not fully fund the Homeland Security Department's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, and reduced funding for first-responder grants. The subcommittee took $200 million from the department's Science and Technology Directorate to help fund the nuclear detection office. But funding for the office is $442 million in the bill -- about $100 million less than the White House requested.”

(GovExec.com; 28Jun06; Chris Strohm, Congress Daily)

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