Bush May Seek $15 Billion for Domestic Safety

President Bush is expected to seek at least $15 billion in new spending for domestic security needs in his 2003 budget, to fund everything from local police to baggage screening equipment.

The budget may include money for vaccines and items such as communication equipment for hospitals and public health agencies to better coordinate their response to a terrorist attack, congressional aides say.

In Congress, “there will be a strong desire to spend more than that,” said Rich Meade, Republican staff director of the House Budget Committee.

Congress approved $20 billion in spending earmarked for domestic security in the 2002 budget. About half of that was requested prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Homeland Security Director Thomas J. Ridge told the Washington Post that the White House has settled on “substantial increases in spending” for domestic security. The budget request will focus on helping police and health care professionals respond to possible attacks, Ridge said.

Ridge “is developing a national strategy for homeland security,” a White House spokesman said Saturday. “As part of that, . . . Ridge is assessing our needs for combating terrorism and responding to any attacks that may come.”

Bush is to release his 2003 budget proposal after his State of the Union address to Congress next month. The 2003 fiscal year will begin Oct. 1.

The House committee’s staff surveyed government agencies for their anti-terrorism budget requests and came up with at least $15 billion in proposals, Meade said.

There is broad agreement that hospitals and public health agencies need help getting communication equipment and other technology so that they can quickly identify an attack victim and respond appropriately, said Bill Hoagland, the GOP staff director of the Senate Budget Committee.

“Everything we’ve looked at indicates the resources in our public health system have not been kept up to speed,” Hoagland said.

Another big-ticket item: baggage screening equipment for airports. The government would need $6 billion to buy all the machines that are necessary, Hoagland said.

Bush’s budget request is expected to set off a struggle in Congress to increase the spending and to define what can be classified as a security need.

“That’s going to be the toughest challenge, identifying the true needs related to homeland security and funding those first,” Meade said.

Congressional Democrats wanted $15 billion more in anti-terrorism spending this year, but the White House refused to go along. The administration said the money wasn’t needed until next year and promised to put it in the 2003 budget.

“We’ve known for a long time that that was about the amount of additional resources that were needed for homeland defense,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.).