Antiterrorism spending passes $60-billion

WASHINGTON -- Congress has provided more than $60-billion since September to combat terrorism at home and abroad and to rebuild from the attacks on New York and Washington. That's roughly five times what the nation spent to fight terrorism in the previous year.

Some costs are one-time expenses or will diminish in coming years -- like helping communities recover from the Sept. 11 devastation -- but other antiterrorism programs are sure to grow.

When he sends Congress his $2-trillion budget for fiscal 2003 next month, President Bush is expected to propose billions more for the military's $345-billion wartime budget for the rest of this year, plus a hefty increase for next year for governmentwide antiterrorism efforts. Fiscal 2003 begins Oct. 1.

Republican aides on the House Budget Committee estimate that so-called homeland security programs alone -- such as hiring FBI agents and stopping bioterrorists -- will grow by $150-billion over the next decade. That excludes money for military antiterrorism operations and for local recovery aid.

Not all of the $60-billion Congress approved will be spent this year. Precise figures remain hazy because of disagreements -- sometimes fueled by politics -- over what exactly constitutes antiterrorism spending, and because such activities are often included within broader programs and are not distinct.

Though but a sliver of the federal budget, $60-billion exceeds the 2000 revenues of all but the dozen largest U.S. corporations. It is also five times the $12-billion total for all federal antiterrorism spending in fiscal 2001, an August White House report said.

Beefing up security at home and hunting Osama bin Laden are hugely popular with the public and members of both parties, assuring that such spending will continue. But that hasn't stopped political warfare from erupting.

Bush and congressional Democrats clashed last fall over how to divide the first round of spending between defense and domestic programs. With a return of federal deficits imminent, more fights are brewing this election year.

"We have no higher obligation than to defend this country," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. "But that doesn't mean we give blank checks to anybody."

Bush's budget is expected to propose a $15-billion increase for domestic security programs, everything from protecting nuclear power plants to building up federal vaccine stockpiles. The White House says $34-billion was enacted for such programs for fiscal 2002.

"The president has made this a priority," said White House budget office spokeswoman Amy Call. "We'll fund it at a level that reflects that priority."

Examples include:

The Defense Department says that from Sept. 11 through Dec. 10, the most recent date available, it spent nearly $2.9-billion for operations in Afghanistan, plus $1.8-billion domestically for combat air patrols over some cities and to call up National Guard and Reserve troops. That averages more than $1.5-billion per month. Repairing the damaged Pentagon, replacing equipment and temporary workspace are expected to total $1-billion.

Legislation bailing out financially battered airlines and providing money to compensate victims of the four crashed hijacked airliners is projected to cost $13.6-billion from 2001 through 2006.

A $40-billion antiterrorism bill provided $17-billion for defense, $11-billion for New York and other affected communities and $10-billion for domestic security.

Overall, lawmakers provided about $3-billion for countering bioterrorists, such as helping state and local health agencies and research. The Customs Service got $3.6-billion to upgrade security at ports and U.S. borders, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service got $4.4-billion to strengthen enforcement.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright