The tragic terrorist attacks of September 11th demonstrated the vulnerability of our nation's capitol. Congress reacted swiftly, committing more than $340 million to shore up security. However, according to a new report by the General Accounting Office (GAO), about $279.5 million has been spent over a two-year period without any plan to make sure the money was spent wisely. In fact, a recent investigation by the Washington Post uncovered that tens of millions have been frittered away on a wide array of congressional pet projects with tenuous ties to homeland security.

Legislators freely admit that there was a rush to get the money 'out there' to state and local governments with as few federal checks and balances as possible. Members of Congress assume that because local governments knew their own needs best, they should be given wide latitude in how to spend their million dollar windfall. The large influx of federal dollars could not have come at a better time for many local cash-strapped governments. Officials in Washington, D.C.; Maryland, and Virginia spent millions of dollars on routine government needs, using a little creativity to make ties to homeland security issues. A city official in D.C. told the Washington Post that: “If we can tie it [spending projects] to 9/11 and build capacity in our core functions, let's do it!”

D.C. Deputy Mayor Margaret Kellems oversaw grant spending and assured the public that: “If it wasn't related to emergency preparedness, it was not an option.” Despite these assurances, $55,000 was spent on basic employee training courses with titles that include “map reading” and “handling problem employees.” The Psychiatric Institute of Washington used emergency funds to purchase security cameras and a garage gate to keep American University students and professors from parking illegally. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments received a $5 million grant, $519,000 of which was spent on indirect expenses such as rent, insurance, and janitorial services.

Maryland and Virginia received $101.5 million for homeland security. Maryland employees took a pledge that they would not use the money to supplant local funds. However, the Prince George's County prosecutor's office purchased a new security system and Montgomery County purchased $566,380 worth of audiovisual equipment, including eight plasma televisions costing $20,000 each.

The GAO reports that the eight jurisdictions in the National Capitol Region spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on nearly identical purchases. One jurisdiction purchased a $310,000 police command bus while another neighboring jurisdiction spent $500,000 on a replacement command bus.

“Getting our fair share” is every Senator's congressional crusade. Nationally, Congress doles out homeland security dollars based on a population formula. While this may satisfy political needs, it also means states with a relatively low risk of a terrorist attack, like North Dakota and Kentucky receive grossly disproportionate funds compared to New York and California. While citizens in Zap, N.D. have just as much worth as the residents of Los Angeles, Al Qaeda is not as likely to zap Zap's popular Cut-N-Curl salon as they are the L.A. Subway.

Homeland security spending is a bottomless honey jar that is attracting a lot of flies. Priorities need to be set. Police officers require more protective gear and training. Public health labs that test for deadly biological agents face state budget cuts. Dozens of federal agencies have no continuity of operations plans in the event that their D.C. offices became uninhabitable.

Congress should further consider legislative efforts that would remove politics from the homeland security funding equation. Grants should be awarded by neutral threat and risk assessments. When we have more security and less honey, our nation will be much better off.