The 2008 Budget proposes to increase funding for the Department of Homeland security by 8%
by Bethany Stotts
Launched with great fanfare in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks upon the United States, the U. S. Department of Homeland Security has become something of an inside joke in our nation’s capital. Designed to address the weaknesses made apparent by the terrorist assault, the new federal agency was designed to address problems such as border security and disaster preparedness.
The ongoing waves of border crossings by illegal aliens and the federal government’s haphazard performance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina left Department officials scrambling to explain themselves and not very effectively. Meanwhile, tales of Gucci handbags purchased in mass quantities by the agency led a renegade congressman or two to take to the floor ridiculing the agency.
Somewhat surprisingly, given the agency’s Orwellian-sounding title, the liberal press has largely given the department a pass. The lack of scrutiny is even more surprising as the new law enforcement bureau’s woes promise no end of material.
The 2008 Presidential Budget proposes to increase funding for the Department of Homeland security by 8%, appropriating $46.4 billion for fiscal year 2008. Given the current financial disorganization within the department, the wisdom of pouring more resources into such a high-risk environment seems unclear. The DHS has repeatedly demonstrated problems with both tracking and assessing its own expenditures, and has recently shown only moderate progress.In July 2006, Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, reiterated this goal when he released his 6-point program to improve the DHS. Among other initiatives, this program placed high priority on improving DHS financial management, appropriations, and human resources, as well as realigning the DHS organizational structure in order to “maximize mission performance.” A year later, the DHS is still plagued with high-risk financial inconsistencies and staffing shortages. The Secretary has not seemed particularly effusive about devoting the new funds toward increased oversight, however, and has only assigned $22.6 million of the $3.44 billion increase toward increasing oversight and strengthening the Chief Procurement Officer’s (CPO) office.
http://www.campusreportonline.net/main/articles.php?id=1757