Why Is Congress Putting Pork First on Homeland Security?

Jena McNeill / June 02, 2011

The fiscal year (FY) 2012 homeland security appropriations bill is on the floor today. One would assume that this would be an opportunity for House members to get rid of wasteful programs while maintaining funding for the ones that make us safer.

Instead, they are avoiding the hard choices that come with reallocating resources in a smart way, instead offering a simple amendment that would cut appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by 10 percent (except border security funding).

This is a mistake for a number of reasons. First, there are legitimate programs and offices, such as the DHS Office of Policy, that are doing good work and actually need funding. Cutting them further would jeopardize their ability to perform their vital functions. (more…)