Administration Seeks More Money to Protect Against Terror Attacks

After months of criticism that the Bush administration had failed to provide enough money to defend against terrorist attacks on American soil, the White House said today that it would ask Congress for an emergency spending package for domestic counterterrorism programs. The administration, which warned this week of the possibility of multiple terrorist attacks linked to war with Iraq, would neither give a dollar figure for the emergency spending plan nor specify how the money would be divided. Republican Congressional officials said they believed that Congress was ready to approve billions of dollars for extra domestic defense spending as part of a much larger emergency spending package to cover the costs of an American invasion and occupation of Iraq. A senior House Republican aide said Republican leaders were considering a plan that would include an additional $1 billion for the Transportation Security Administration, $200 million to $700 million more for the Coast Guard, and a large increase in federal grants to local police and fire departments for counterterrorism training. Full Story