Congress Must Put House in Order: Homeland Security Budget Functions Must be Centralized, Analysts Say
Washington, DC —After Congress finishes the fiscal year 2003 budget, its top priority must be to create an efficient committee system to review the President’s fiscal year 2004 homeland security budget request and appropriate funds necessary to fight the war on terrorism, argued the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation’s Terrorism Prevention Project today. House Appropriations Chairman Bill Young (R-FL) took the first step January 29 when he announced a new Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. However, to date there is no evidence that the House and Senate are working together to create a complementary committee system.
The alternative, having budgeting responsibilities spread over eight appropriations subcommittees, hinders homeland security efforts. “Currently, funding for the more than 20 agencies that are moving to the Department of Homeland Security is spread across eight appropriations bills, administered by eight different Appropriations Subcommittees,” said Kate Käufer, an analyst at the Project. Käufer added, “Additionally, the Department will have new management and technology funding requirements that do not fall under the purview of existing appropriations subcommittees.”
If Congress does not reorganize, budget responsibility will be spread across numerous committees that have different and sometimes conflicting responsibilities and priorities. For example, the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-State, and Treasury appropriations bills are now each responsible for a portion of the Department’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. “The point of consolidating these agencies into a single department was to make them more efficient and easier to work with each other,” noted Erik Floden, the Project’s director. “Congress must ensure that its vital role supports, not confuses the process,” continued Floden.