House, Senate negotiators back small homeland security budget boost
House and Senate negotiators on Wednesday agreed to fund the Homeland Security Department at $29.4 billion for fiscal 2004, an increase of $535.8 million or 1.8 percent above the fiscal 2003 enacted levels and $1 billion, or 3.7 percent, above President Bush's request.
In the conference committee, several Democratic amendments seeking to increase funding were defeated. The agreement includes $839 million for critical infrastructure protection, including $81 million for intelligence and terrorist warnings and $570 million for reducing vulnerability to physical and cyber attack.
It also includes $811 million to modernize border, customs and immigration information technology, $125 million for inspection technologies and operations for vehicles and cargo and several billion in first responder grants to states and localities.
In addition, the bill provides $918 million for science and technology, which is $115 million above amounts requested by the president.
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