Bush seeks to cut city’s terror funding again

New York City politicians are not pleased at President Bush’s proposal to cut homeland security funding for first responders in 2009.
Among the Queens leaders who released statements or commented on the proposal are U.S. Congressmembers Carolyn Maloney and Joseph Crowley and City Councilmember Joseph Addabbo. Senator and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton also made a splash, penning a letter to Bush urging him to reconsider.
The Associated Press has reported that the Department of Homeland Security originally proposed $3.2 billion in funding for police, firefighters, and rescue teams across the country, but the President elected to cut that figure by more than half, proposing instead that Congress provide only $1.4 billion to first responders.
Bush’s proposal would completely eliminate certain programs, such as port security and transit security.
The proposal, which was met with strong opposition from political leaders nationwide, may be difficult to pass in Congress. Some of the strongest opposition has come from the Empire State, where security is always a central issue.
Crowley called the proposal an “outrage,” accusing the Bush Administration of “saying one thing and doing another.”
“The administration’s decision to withhold the funding we use to bolster security at our city’s ports and transit hubs is a failure of leadership,” Crowley said, adding that he plans to “work with the rest of the New York delegation and my colleagues in Congress to…ensure that [the Bush Administration] fulfills its previous pledges to…protect New York and the nation.”
“I can’t imagine how an administration that is constantly invoking the threat of terrorism to defend its priorities would even consider eliminating [funding],” said Congressmember Maloney.
Maloney called the plan “dead on arrival” in Congress, but added that it was also “very revealing of this administration’s values. The President’s $1.8 billion security funding cut would buy about five-and-a-half days of war in Iraq.”
Addabbo noted that security is an especially important issue in New York, not only because of the 9/11 tragedy, but also due to the many potential terror targets in the city.
“There are two major airports in Queens alone,” said Addabbo. “This is right in our backyard. Cuts like the ones the President is proposing will be felt at that level.”
In her letter to President Bush, Clinton called the proposed cut “unimaginable,” and asserted that Bush has “greatly underestimated” the terror threat facing the U.S.
The letter also asked the President to submit a detailed report on how “any reduction in critical homeland security funds would make our country safer.”
“Not only does this proposal shake our belief in our own safety, but realistically, it probably does diminish our safety somewhat,” said Addabbo. “When you pick up the paper and read something like this, you can’t feel good. You can be the staunchest Bush supporter around, but you can’t help but feel anger and frustration about this.”