Respirators that don’t protect workers from deadly gases. Unneeded chemical detectors in a subway system. Big-money contracts awarded to political supporters. These are just a few examples of how federal dollars for homeland security could be — or already may have been — misspent by local officials. On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced that the department is making $1.5 billion in grants available to states and cities to help defray the costs of stepped up security during the war in Iraq. At the same time, Congress has begun debating President Bush’s proposal to spend nearly $3.5 billion on homeland security next year to help states and cities prepare for terrorist attacks. There is growing concern that the dollars not be wasted. ”There’s a renewed focus on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse,” says Kyle Downey, spokesman for Republicans on the House Budget Committee. ”For the rest of the year, we will be watching this very, very closely.” Full Story
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