Iraq supplemental covers DHS funding

Iraq supplemental covers DHS funding The U.S. Department of Homeland Security would receive an additional $2 billion to support border, port, rail and other security programs this year under a supplemental Iraq war-spending bill approved Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
   Congress is providing the money to help implement provisions of last year’s SAFE Port Act and the 9/11 homeland security bill that recently passed the Senate, even though the Bush administration did not request extra funding for homeland security efforts.
   Customs and Border Protection, an agency within DHS, would receive $100 million to acquire more non-intrusive inspection equipment for the Secure Freight Initiative at a handful of foreign ports and for U.S. ports, integrate the machines with drive-through radiation detection gates at northern border ports to improve chances for detecting shielded highly enriched uranium, and increase staffing at border checkpoints.      
   Another $40 million is directed to hire Customs officers at entry points on the border with Canada, as well as crewmembers for the Air and Marine unit, purchase vehicles and “harden” ports of entry from attack.
   The Air and Marine unit would also receive $75 million for operations on the northern border and Great Lakes, including the establishment of a Detroit air wing, and procurement of aircraft and vessels.
   The Transportation Security Administration would receive $60 million for air cargo security to implement the 9/11 bill’s requirement that all cargo on passenger planes be inspected. The appropriation would double the number of air cargo security inspectors to 600, and includes money to expand the National Explosives Detection Canine Team program by 100 teams from the current level of 422 teams. It also funds completion of vulnerability assessments at airports with high cargo volumes, as well as equipment, technology and other methods to screen air cargo.
   The Science and Technology Directorate in DHS would receive $15 million for research on air cargo security technologies.
   The bill fully funds current chemical site security activities with an additional $18 million. At the direction of Congress, DHS has established chemical security standards, but the department has not requested sufficient funds to hire personnel to inspect chemical sites to ensure compliance.