Commissioners from financially strained counties criticized Congress today for delays in approving $3.5 billion that Washington had promised to help local governments brace for potential terrorist attacks. “It’s like sending soldiers into battle without weapons or training,” said Kenneth A. Mayfield, a commissioner in Dallas County, Tex., and the president of the National Association of Counties. “What a travesty.” President Bush has requested $3.5 billion for state, county and local governments, but budget battles in Congress have delayed the money. The Senate is considering a spending bill this week that would send $2.4 billion; it rebuffed a Democratic effort to restore the $3.5 billion and add items for domestic security. Full Story