House votes $32 billion for DHS
The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a $32 billion fiscal 2007 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security by a vote of 389-9.
The amount is $1.8 billion above the amount enacted by Congress for this year and more than $1 billion above President Bush’s request.
The bill includes $200 million for the Port Security Grant program, half the amount that has been proposed in the Senate. The House appropriated $150 million for the program in 2006.
The House bill also includes:
* $1.69 billion for Customs cargo inspections and trade operations.
* $2 billion for the Coast Guard’s Deepwater modernization program.
* $139 million for the Container Security Initiative (about $60 million less than authorized).
* $500 million for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office ($36 million less than authorized).
* $70 million for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism ($5 million less than authorized).
* $178 million for radiation portal monitors.
* $40 million to implement the Transportation Worker Identification Credential.
* $15 million to increase port facility and vessel inspections domestically and overseas.
* $23 million for the research and development of cargo security technologies.
An amendment to require X-ray scanning of all containers before they enter the United States that had previously been defeated on two occasions was not reintroduced as had been expected, and was not part of the bill.
The House and Senate must still negotiate a final appropriations bill.
In separate action, a Senate-House conference committee cut all $648 million for port security, including $227 million for the current year port security grants, from an emergency supplemental appropriations bill for Iraq and Hurricane Katrina relief.