City to Get $64 Million to Counter Terrorism

The Bush administration announced on Thursday that it would provide the New York City region about $64 million for antiterrorism programs, an amount that several New York lawmakers called inadequate. The money was part of a $725 million aid package that Congress recently approved to help large metropolitan areas considered most vulnerable to terrorist attack. The federal Department of Homeland Security is disbursing the money. The pot of money for high-risk urban areas was created this year to address concerns of New York lawmakers in both parties. The lawmakers had complained that the city, a past target for terrorists, was being shortchanged because Washington was distributing a limited pool of security money to every state, regardless of the threats they faced. But Thursday’s announcement provoked a new round of complaints from New York lawmakers, who said the money the Bush administration had set aside for the New York region was far less than what it received the last time such money was disbursed. In May, Homeland Security announced that it planned to provide the region a little more than $200 million in grants out of the money set aside for cities considered most vulnerable to attack. Full Story