Fossella Asks Homeland Security To Rethink Planned Outlays

WASHINGTON - A Republican congressman from Staten Island is calling on the Department of Homeland Security to rethink a possible change in the way it distributes funds for urban areas such as New York, warning that a proposal to expand the department's funding programs to include natural disasters and health crises could lead to a decrease in funds the city receives each year for terrorism prevention.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security is set to begin allocating money from its Urban Area Security Initiative grant program to cities at risk for natural disasters or health crises. The program traditionally has been directed at the country's 50 most populous cities. The department's secretary, Michael Chertoff, will announce today how the program's $765 million will be distributed this year.

The shift, outlined in a 203-page report sent out to state and local officials, is part of a broader effort by Mr. Chertoff to remake the department into more of an "all-hazards operation." But Rep. Vito Fossella, a Republican of Staten Island, said that by expanding the number of initiatives eligible for the grants, the amount of money spent exclusively on terrorism prevention will necessarily go down in cities that traditionally have benefited from them.

Mr. Fossella also criticized the department for announcing the change while Congress is out of session.

"I don't think there is anybody around who doubts that the genesis of the Department of Homeland Security and this urban grant program was about directing the funds to where the threat of terrorism is greatest," Mr. Fossella said."It seems that out of left field they are now going to take that limited funding, which is already insignificant for New York, and open it up to other initiatives. I think Homeland Security should put the brakes on this thing until Congress has an opportunity to review what this is all about."

The proposed change will affect only the portion of Homeland Security grant money allocated through the urban area grant program, one of several through which money for New York and other states is directed. The Department of Homeland Security allocated $829 million through the urban area grant program last year, with $207 million going to New York. The department is expected to allocate less money overall through the program this year.

A congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposed shift is not yet public, said he does not expect that New York will be hurt either by the shift or by the decrease in funds this year in the urban area grant program. He said New York has consistently demonstrated to department officials not only that it needs the funds it requests based on its risk profile but that it uses the funds it receives well.

Not all Republicans in the state are unhappy with the proposed change. The chairman of the New York State Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Military Affairs, Senator Balboni of Nassau County, said he welcomes the shift to an "all-hazards" approach, calling it "the other side of the coin" in the mission of homeland security. Mr. Balboni said he recommended such a move two years ago when he sat on the national Homeland Security Task Force.

"Right after 9/11, it was all about homeland security," Mr. Balboni said in a phone interview last night. "But as you talked to police and fire department officials, they began to say, 'Wait a minute. These things happen once, and they're catastrophic. But at the same time, we have to be able to prepare for any type of natural disaster.' Terrorism planning is not mutually exclusive to preparing for a terrible flu outbreak or a natural disaster."

Unlike other grant programs operated by the Department of Homeland Security, the urban areas grant program allocates money according to risk. A Republican congressman from Nassau County, Rep. Peter King, has been pressing senators for weeks to adopt a funding formula that increases the total amount of homeland security funds distributed according to risk by agreeing to lower the mandatory minimum that each state now receives. Mr. King could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Mr. Balboni said he supports Mr. King's efforts, but added that he views an all-hazards approach at the Department of Homeland Security as equally important for New York. The current formula for allocating homeland security funds dictates that each state receive no less than 0.75% of all funds. The House of Representatives agreed in May to drop the mandatory minimum to 0.25%. The Senate has indicated it is willing to drop the minimum to 0.55%, a minimum that Mr. King has said shortchanges New York.

"Hopefully we will continue to edge up in terms of priority for funding, and hopefully more of this funding will be allocated according to risk," Mr. Balboni said. "Peter King is right. All of the funding formulas for homeland security should be all-hazard and should be based upon risk."

Mayor Bloomberg's office declined to comment on the proposed change to the urban area grant program.