Smaller share of the $2.5B pie for NMI?

A new formula in the distribution of homeland security grants may have already resulted in a reduction of such funding for the CNMI and other insular areas.

A report on GovExec.com about the award of some $2.5 billion in grants to state and local governments by the Homeland Security Department on Friday said that more money would be targeted to areas with the greatest risk of attack.

The revised formula came about after previous Urban Area Security Initiative funding efforts were criticized for not providing enough money to areas at the greatest risk of attack, while providing too much to areas with relatively low risk.

The report cited a recent report by American Enterprise Institute fellow Veronique de Rugy, which said that the Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and Wyoming received the highest grant dollars per capita last year, while New York fell third to last.

Under the revised funding formula, cities and urban areas with the greatest security needs will get more money than ever this year.

This time, New York City will receive about $207 million through the UASI program, far more than any other city.

“This increase in funds is a critical and urgently needed step towards helping us address New York’s many homeland security needs,” said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. “I will continue to fight for New York by ensuring that homeland security funds be allocated based on threat, risk and other appropriate factors, as the 9/11 commission recommends.”

Cities receiving the next highest allocations are Washington, DC, and Los Angeles received the next highest allocations, which get about $78 million and $61 million respectively.

“This funding enhances the preparedness of the entire nation while targeting resources where they are needed most,” said DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, in announcing the list of grant recipients for 2005.

The amount of funding available through the UASI program is the highest it’s ever been since the program was started three years ago, said DHS spokesman Marc Short.

“The president lobbied Congress for more funding to be distributed through the UASI because it is a risk-based formula … [and] Congress went in that direction this year,” Short said. “The funding for UASI always has been risk- based. But this year, you can see a decided shift into providing more funding for that program.”

The overall amount of grant funding available to state and local governments for 2005 is actually less than 2004 due to cuts to other grant programs, such as Citizen Corps, Fire Act Grants, state and local training initiatives, training exercises and technical assistance. Overall, the amount of grant funding available to state and local governments decreased by $805 million from fiscal 2004.

DHS manages two primary grant programs for state and local governments. About $1.66 billion in grants will be distributed in 2005 through the State Homeland Security Grant Program, which is intended to create a baseline of preparedness across the nation. About $855 million will be distributed through the UASI, which targets grants to areas with the greatest security needs based on population, critical infrastructure, threat information, and law enforcement investigations and enforcement activity.