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White House sought to divert funding

Congress denied call to redirect money meant for explosives detection

11:58 PM CDT on Friday, August 11, 2006

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – While the British terrorism suspects were believed to be hatching their plot, the Bush administration was quietly seeking permission to divert $6 million that was supposed to be spent this year on developing new explosives detection technology.

Congressional leaders rejected the idea, the latest in a series of steps by the Homeland Security Department that has left lawmakers and some of the department's own experts questioning the commitment to create better anti-terrorism technologies.

Homeland Security's research arm, called the Sciences & Technology Directorate, is a "rudderless ship without a clear way to get back on course," Republican and Democratic senators on the Appropriations Committee declared recently.

"The committee is extremely disappointed with the manner in which S&T is being managed within the Department of Homeland Security," the panel wrote June 29 in a bipartisan report accompanying the agency's 2007 budget.

Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn., who joined Republicans to block the administration's recent diversion of explosives detection money, said research and development is crucial to thwarting future attacks. And there is bipartisan agreement that Homeland Security has fallen short.

"They clearly have been given lots of resources that they haven't been using," Mr. Sabo said.

Homeland Security said Friday that its research arm has just gotten a new leader – Rear Adm. Jay Cohen, a former Navy research chief – and there is strong optimism for developing new detection technologies.

"I don't have any criticisms of anyone," said Kip Hawley, the assistant secretary for transportation security. "I have great hope for the future. There is tremendous intensity on this issue among the senior management of this department to make this area a strength."

Lawmakers and recently retired Homeland Security officials say they are concerned the department's research and development effort is bogged down by bureaucracy, lack of strategic planning and failure to use money wisely.

The department failed to spend $200 million in research and development money from past years, forcing lawmakers to rescind the money this summer.

The administration also was slow to start testing a new liquid explosives detector that the Japanese government provided this year. Japan has been using the detectors in its Narita International Airport in Tokyo.