The $40 billion Homeland Security spending bill marked up by the House Appropriations Committee yesterday is $2.3 billion over the president’s request, but it actually adds $4.2 billion in unrequested spending, including $180 million in earmarks (click here for earmarks database). The new spending focuses on border security programs—such as $800 million to catching criminal aliens and $12 million to investigate transnational gangs—as well as emergency response grants, including $3.7 billion for First Responder and Port Security programs.

But for all its generosity, the committee held on to plenty of cash for programs that embodied the “many instances of troubled and ultimately wasteful investments made by DHS agencies,” as the bill report stated. The committee’s disciplinary regime withholds half the programs’ funds until the committee and Government Accountability Office approve an expenditure plan. Spanked programs include:

• Deepwater, the Coast Guard’s beleaguered effort to recapitalize a good part of the service’s ships ($500 million withheld);
• US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT), a high-tech program to track people entering and leaving the US ($90 million withheld);
• The National Cyber Security Initiative, Next Generation Networks and the National Command and Coordination Capability, three security programs the committee says DHS hasn’t provided cost data for ($85 million withheld);
• Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure and Technology ($400 million withheld). The committee is still retaining nearly $500 million of last year’s appropriation because the plan DHS submitted didn't include the required cost breakdown

Another source of extra money was earmarks—104 total, worth a little more than $180 million. The largest earmark was $92 million for the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, $60 million more than the President requested. Though it’s difficult to compare earmarks from the FY08 and FY09 DHS spending bills because the House didn’t disclose them until the final omnibus spending bill was considered, one area shows promise. As we noted, FEMA’s FY08 pre-disaster mitigation program was riddled with earmarks: The $114 million program contained 96 earmarks worth $51.3 million. The FY09 bill cuts that number nearly in half to 52 earmarks worth $25.3 million (though of course the program was cut to $75 million). Per usual, appropriators and vulnerable freshman garnered the lion’s share of the pre-disaster loot—29 earmarks worth $14.3 million, more than half the program’s total.

For more information contact Laura Peterson.