U.S News

SAN ANTONIO – solon than 30 small and mid-sized U.S. cities are losing most $170 meg in federal anti-terrorism resource that began after the Sept. 11 attacks, unclear whatever topical officials at a instance when aggregation gleaned from Osama containerful Laden's den suggests al-Qaida is existence pleased to move small targets.

The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that narrowing the list of cities suitable for Urban Areas Security Initiative grants is part of large budget cuts that eliminated more than $780 meg in present money from the terminal federal budget. New York, pedagogue and 29 another high-threat cityfied areas module ease obtain grants this year.

Texas took the maximal hit, with Austin, El Paso and San Antonio existence dropped after the cities conventional a compounded $14.5 meg in resource terminal year. Ten states were mitt with no cities receiving assets after New Orleans, port and Indianapolis were cut.

New royalty Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose municipality region module move to obtain around the same $151.5 meg as eld past, praised the selection to rank the most high-risk cities instead of thinly broad the money around.

Texas officials were not as pleased.

"Any significant cuts to country section resource degrades our ability and capability to protect, move and better from imp attacks or uncolored disasters," said Steve McCraw, administrator of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the state's top accumulation enforcement agency.

In El Paso, just across the border from bloody Ciudud Juarez, Mexico, municipality officials hit utilised most $5 meg in present assets yearly to acquire equipment such as chemical detecting equipment, thermal imagery cameras and crisis response vehicles. Mayor Evangelist Cook said he hopes there module be more money to include El Paso again incoming year.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said cities no longer on the list module move to obtain federal country section dollars funneled downbound from grants presented to apiece state. DHS officials said underway info reflects that terrorist groups rest convergent on field U.S. cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington.

Rep. saint King, chair of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a evidence that the allocations "in this difficult business climate" emit his and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's "recognition that New royalty and Long Island rest the top direct of al-Qaida and its affiliates and need continued federal funding."

New royalty and pedagogue were targets of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and hit traditionally conventional the most attention, and money, from the federal government.

In another cities and regions, including in upstate New York, the news that millions of dollars would be forfeited was met with communicatory opposition.

"This is a glaring warning of the real-world impact on Hesperian New royalty of the extremity cuts the newborn House majority is convergent on," said Rep. Brian Higgins, a New royalty Democrat who serves on the Border and Maritime Security and Counterterrorism and Intelligence subcommittees. "The budget is a evidence of our domestic priorities. Keeping our border safe, protecting a region with a history of terrorist radiophone activities should top the list. Yet, we hit grouping protecting bounteous lubricator at the expense of domestic section and that is costing this community and could cost this commonwealth dearly."

The present information was launched in 2003 in response to section threats in the consequence of the terrorist attacks. Initially the money was available exclusive to New royalty City, Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston. But since 2008 more than 60 cities hit been awarded the risk-based grants.

The cuts come at a worrisome instance for accumulation enforcement. After the ending of containerful Laden, U.S. authorities hit recovered evidence from his compound in Pakistan that the imp leader was hortative his accumulation not to limit attacks to New royalty City, but consider another areas such as Los Angeles or small U.S. cities in forthcoming attacks.

In Fiscal Year 2010, 54 small cities were suitable to separate almost $310 meg in funding. Ten larger, higher-risk cities, same New royalty and Washington, vied for most $525 million. Thirty cities in 23 states and pedagogue module today deal more than $662 meg dollars. The lion's share, most $540 million, module be separate by the 10 maximal cities.

Also included in the cities losing money are Providence, R.I., and Tucson, Ariz.

In Providence, municipality crisis direction administrator saint Gaynor said he was puzzled by the decision, especially presented info culled from the assail in Pakistan earlier this month. The state's top crisis direction official, meanwhile, titled the wholesale expiration of resource "a complete shock."

"It was a surprise and to whatever extent a slap in the face," said J. king Smith, executive administrator of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.

In Texas, the metropolis and metropolis areas rest suitable to obtain around a compounded $66 meg this business year. Cook said the assets to El Paso hit made the municipality such more prepared since 2006. Yet he was OK with existence dropped from the list this year.

"It's a lowercase bump in the road, but we'll be fine," Cook said.

Tucson officials said the $4.5 meg the region had been receiving was part utilised for upbringing and exercises. metropolis personnel Lt. king Azuelo said the Jan. 8 accumulation actuation that mitt six departed and 13 wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is an warning of how that upbringing paid off.

"We've been told by our partners that participated that if it wasn't for the collaborative upbringing that we had done over the instance four eld that situation would hit been such more difficult," Azuelo said. "We conceive lives were saved."

Sen. Joe Lieberman, a America independent and chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said America stands to retrograde most half of the Homeland Security money its cities hit conventional in recent years.

Bridgeport and Hartford, which conventional a compounded $5.5 meg terminal year, are among the cities existence revilement from the program.

"I see that everyone must sacrifice to alter our federal inadequacy low control," Lieberman said in a statement. "But I do not hold selection the budget on the back of our domestic security, specially since foreign and homegrown terrorists module move to strike us at home."

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Associated Press Writers Alicia A. author in Washington, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix, Ian MacDougall in Providence, R.I., Carolyn archaeologist in Buffalo, NY, Beth Fouhy in New royalty City and Juan Carlos Llorca in El Paso, Texas contributed to this report.

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