The President's budget would increase funding for homeland security government-wide by about 8 percent. Spending for the Department of Homeland Security would increase by about 6 percent, to $42.7 billion.
The department's budget calls for more money to strengthen border and aviation security. Among other things, it would provide 6,700 more immigration detention beds and 1,500 more border patrol agents. The budget also includes a 10 percent increase in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which was criticized for its response to Hurricane Katrina. This includes a tripling -- to $150 million -- in grants for pre-disaster mitigation efforts, to reduce potential damage from disasters.
The budget also attempts to focus more of the government's homeland security spending on what are believed to be the greatest threats. The department would increase funding for state and local grant programs that target high-risk areas and facilities, and eliminates some other, broader grant programs. Overall, the budget would cut homeland assistance to state and local governments by $602 million.
The president also calls for $10 million to fund a new office to oversee chemical site security. And he would give the Coast Guard a role in providing air security around the nation’s capital.
The Homeland Security budget also calls for $4.7 billion to fund aviation security programs run by the Transportation Security Administration. It would help pay for those programs by increasing the security fee on airline tickets from the current $2.50 to $5.00 for a one-way ticket. Congress has rejected a similar fee increase in the past, and the proposal is expected to meet with opposition again on Capitol Hill.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDM3NjYwMjA5MDE1MjA1MzQ1NDk1N2ZmZQ004))
