SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS RELEASES STATEMENT ON DHS GRANT AWARDS

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Susan Collins has released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s anti-terrorism grant award allocations announced earlier today:   "I am disappointed at the level of homeland security funding allocated to Maine. The decrease to $7.8 million reflects a nationwide reduction in homeland security grant funding that I believe is shortsighted and dangerous.   “The days following Hurricane Katrina demonstrated how unprepared we are as a nation to respond to a natural disaster that was predictable and predicted. A terrorist strike for which we have no advance warning could prove even more devastating. Maine’s long international border, its expansive coastline, and its proximity to major populations centers such as New York and Boston require the State to be prepared to stop terrorists before they strike, to train for all hazards, and to deal with looming threats such as a pandemic disease. To help undertake these urgent initiatives, Maine needs more funding than was awarded today.   "I am concerned that the decline in homeland security grant funding combined with a continued focus on large urban areas ignores the reality of where terrorists train and travel, and where natural disasters are likely to strike."   Senator Collins has introduced legislation, twice approved by the U.S. Senate, that would boost funding nationwide for homeland security grants and impose strict new accountability standards.  If funding were restored to prior levels, under the Collins bill Maine would have received approximately $16 million in this fiscal year and would have been able to apply for additional regional and state competitive grants.