- July 27, 2007
Sens. Biden and Carper OK Homeland Security Funding Bill
Delaware Senators Vote to Strengthen Borders, Make America More Secure
Late Thursday night, by an overwhelming vote of 89 to 4, the United States Senate passed the Homeland Securities Appropriations Bill, with votes of support from Sens. Joe Biden and Tom Carper (both D-Del).
Passage late yesterday of the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (S.1644) marks the first of 11 government funding bills that the full Senate has approved so far this year.
“This essential funding bill strengthens our borders, ensures first responders have the tools to do their jobs well, and enhances security for our airports, ports and mass transit,” the senators said. “This strong Homeland Security Appropriations bill invests more than $40 billion in the nation’s highest-priority security projects, with $5 billion more than the President proposed.”
This legislation includes all the operating expenses for the Department of Homeland Security, including enhanced security, enforcement and investigations. It includes funding for immigration, customs and border protection. The bill also provides funding for security for all air, maritime and land transportation through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
This $40 billion funding bill also secures federal funding for the Coast Guard, as the lead federal agency for maritime security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees disaster relief efforts, and for the U.S. Secret Service, with its National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The Senate and U.S. House of Representatives must now reconcile their similar, but not identical, homeland appropriations bills. Once the Senate/House compromise bill is passed, the legislation is sent to the President for final approval. Then, Delaware will receive its state portion of the final, total overall homeland security monies.
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