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Department of Homeland Security
The President's FY'04 budget includes, for the first time, stand-alone funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The President has requested $36.2 billion to fund the Department. The mission of the Department is to protect the American public against terrorist threats, and respond to natural disasters.
Included in the President's request is almost $900 million for the procurement of drugs and vaccines that would be drawn upon to protect American citizens from acts of bioterrorism.
The Fiscal Year 2004 budget supports the Department's effort to implement the objectives outlined in the President's National Strategy for Homeland Security, including:
- Preventing terrorist attacks within the United States;
- Reducing America's vulnerability to terrorism; and
- Minimizing the damage and recovering from attacks that do occur.
Budget Highlights:
- $803 million is requested for the Department to use American ingenuity and develop new partnerships with the private sector to research, develop and deploy homeland security technologies that will make America safer - an eight-fold increase over 2002.
- The Science and Technology Directorate's Advanced Research Project Agency will direct $350 million in new funding to address gaps in high-priority operational areas like protecting critical infrastructure and our borders.
- $400 million is requested to maintain and strengthen the Strategic National Stockpile of drugs, vaccines, and equipment.
- $890 million is requested to pre-purchase critically needed vaccines and medication for bio-defense.
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