Bush's budget doubles Homeland funds.(Brief Article)

2002 MAR 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- President Bush wants to nearly double spending on homeland security by pouring unprecedented amounts of money into fighting bioterrorism, tightening border controls, improving airline security and helping firefighters.

Bush's first budget since the terror and anthrax attacks of last fall proposes $37.7 billion for homeland defense in the year that starts October 1, 2002, compared with $19.5 billion in the current year.

The budget would add extra cash for faster anthrax tests, twice as many guards on the Canadian border, better equipment for firefighters and easier information-sharing among federal agencies.

Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said that beyond making the nation safer, the extra spending would make America a nicer place live by, for example, improving the health care system and local emergency services.

Homeland defense was one of few areas in the budget to get virtually everything its advocates sought.

"If there was any proposal linked to defeating terrorism or to making Americans more safe at home that had even a reasonable case for it, we agreed and rolled it into the budget," White House budget director Mitch Daniels said.

Among the highlights: