House Appropriators Debate $29-Billion Supplemental Spending Bill
After trimming his original plan slightly, House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. (Bill) Young (R-Fla.) is closer to gaining his panel's approval for a $29.1-billion supplemental spending package for the current fiscal year. The committee began considering the bill on May 9, and is scheduled to resume work late on May 14. Key elements of the package include: Restoring $4.4 billion in fiscal 2003 highway aid that President Bush proposed to cut; $15.8 billion for the Dept. of Defense, mostly for operations, personnel and equipment costs $5.8 billion for homeland security, including $4 billion for the Transportation Security Administration $5.5 billion to help New York recover from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Among the highlights for construction are: $850 million within the TSA allocation, to reconfigure airports for new explosive-detection machines; and $75 million in grants to port authorities for seaport security upgrades.