After Napolitano attacks NY for hoarding security cash, extra $121M is suddenly found ... from 2008
By Michael McauliffDaily News
May 20, 2010
Color us confused.
The Department of Homeland Security and boss Janet Napolitano the other day accused New York of failing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in port and transit security awards from 2009.
The point of of mentioning that was to argue that if New York needed more money, why wasn’t it spending what was already awarded?
New Yorkers shot back that DHS was holding up the money, and today, the plot thickens. Long Island GOP Rep. Pete King informs us that the DHS has just released $121 million in funding for transit security — $80 million for New York State and $41 million for the Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J. — from 2008.
Whose fault is that? King asks.
“By my count, within the last two days or so, the Department of Homeland Security has come up with about $121 million for transit security projects in New York,” he said.
“This is quite a turnaround by the Department of Homeland Security, which last week slashed New York’s mass transit and port security funding.”
(The administration argues that the state and city actually got a hike thanks to $100 million in stimulus act funding that went to security. That is true, but King is correct in pointing out that the specific programs for this year are being cut, and there won’t be a stimulus next year to maintain the money levels.)
More King: “On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sent me a letter rationalizing the cuts by accusing New York of not spending money DHS had awarded in past years,” he said.
“It is now clear that much of this money was bottlenecked in the DHS bureaucracy and should have been available for projects to protect mass transit passengers. Hopefully they’ll come up with more money very soon.”
We forwarded King’s comments to the DHS, from where Press Secretary Clark Stevens responded:
“As we have continued to say, DHS is thoroughly committed to supporting New York City’s first responders and overall preparedness against acts of terrorism and other disasters, which is why overall port and transit security grant funding in New York City has increased by more than $47 million or 24 percent under this Administration.
"As required by Congress, all capital projects — including those funded by the Transit Security Grant Program that enhance the security of our critical transportation infrastructure — undergo mandatory historic and environmental reviews before work can begin.
"Once projects are approved, funds are released on a rolling basis. The projects Representative King references have completed the mandatory reviews and funds are now available for drawdown by the grantees.”
And how is that New York’s fault?