Homeland Security Chief Cites Logjam With Responder Aid

February 12, 2004

WASHINGTON — A "logjam" between states and localities is keeping police, firefighters and other emergency first responders from quickly receiving federal aid, the head of the Homeland Security Department said Thursday.

Lawmakers pressed Secretary Tom Ridge to ensure federal funding goes to responders in cities that could be terrorism targets -- without overlooking those in smaller towns and counties who also need support to safeguard against attacks.

"We're ready to distribute every penny," Ridge said at a hearing of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security.

"The logjam, I believe, is there's no single distribution mechanism between states and the local communities," Ridge said. "It varies from state to state. The federal government is ready to cut the checks."

Ridge spent more than three hours in a cramped hearing room defending the Bush administration's spending plan for the 2005 fiscal year, which allocates $40.2 billion for the Homeland Security Department. The agency budget earmarks $8 billion to reimburse state and local first responders for communications technology and other equipment costs to prepare them for terrorism or other disasters.

But lawmakers worried that first responders were still being denied necessary tools to protect the public.

"I guess it comes down to this -- they all want to know, where's the money?" asked Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif. "They still haven't seen it."

A study last fall by the U.S. Conference of Mayors showed 90 percent of cities had not received their share of $1.5 billion allocated by the nation's largest homeland security funding program.

Moreover, an informal poll in 43 states recently showed that a third of counties nationwide still have not seen any federal funding for first responders, said Larry Naake, executive director of the National Association of Counties.

Naake said some states have "ignored counties and not included them in the process" of divvying out the federal aid.

But Christine LaPaille said states so far have "met their obligation in distributing funding to counties."

"Governors believe that this is about keeping Americans safer with a collective, thoughtful process," LaPaille said. "It is not about how fast they can get the money out. But dollars are being obligated according to state plans that have substantial local input and have been approved by the Department of Homeland Security."

Ridge conceded that the federal government needs to improve federal data sharing of intelligence with states and communities but said: "I think we're well on our way to getting the kind of threat vulnerability and assessment plan" needed to regularly update Congress on terror risks and the costs to contain them.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,111291,00.html