President Bush’s slashing of homeland-security funding – meaning millions of dollars less for New York – could make the city vulnerable to a terror attack, Sen. Charles Schumer said yesterday.
“When you read these things you scratch your head and wonder if the White House is on the same planet as us,” he said.
Although the Department of Homeland Security originally requested $3.2 billion to help states and cities protect against terrorist attacks for fiscal year 2009, the White House said it would ask Congress for less than half that figure.
The cuts will reduce funding to police and firefighters, who usually receive millions from first-responder grant programs.
The new plan also calls for the national elimination of port- and transit-security programs.
“This is basically a statement saying we don’t need homeland security,” Schumer said. The cuts specifically target programs that provide high-threat areas, like New York City, the majority of their anti-terrorism funding, Schumer said.
He sent a personal letter to Bush asking that the cuts be reversed, and said, “I’m going to do everything in my power to stop it.”