House Slashes Budget For Chemical Security

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s troubled chemical facility security program would be slashed by more than half under a fiscal 2013 spending bill proposed last week by the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. The plan would extend DHS’s authority to administer the current Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program until Oct. 4, 2013. However, the bill would provide only $45.4 million for CFATS, $29.1 million less than the amount requested by the Obama Administration and $47.9 million below the program’s current $93.3 million budget. “This reduction is due to significant managerial problems, program delays, and poor budget execution,” a committee document states. A departmental probe completed late last year found that CFATS has suffered from unstable leadership, inadequate training, and poor hiring decisions. In March, DHS Undersecretary Rand Beers told Congress that changes have been made to get the program back on track. Current authorization for CFATS expires in October.