Hog Heaven

Don't be fooled—the homeland security budget is still packed with pork.
By Fred Kaplan
Posted Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at 6:25 PM ET

The Department of Homeland Security announced this week—and several newspapers duly reported—that it's going to start giving more anti-terrorist grants to big cities that are really vulnerable to attack, as opposed to small, safe towns that have thus far been reaping the fruits of political patronage. In fact, however, the actual DHS budget numbers reveal no such trend. If anything, big cities may get less money than before.

According to a Jan. 3 press release, this year the DHS will provide $765 million in direct grants to the Urban Area Security Initiative, which "provides resources for the unique equipment, training, planning, and exercise needs of select high-threat urban areas."