Mayors: Terror Defenses Lack Funds
(CBS/AP) Mayors from the nation's largest cities expressed frustration over delays in receiving billions of dollars of promised federal funds intended to help them prepare and react to possible terrorist attacks.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a survey of 168 cities Wednesday that found cities were struggling to maintain existing services as they spend more on security, waiting to be reimbursed for as much as $4 billion in counterterrorism aid sent from Washington and filtered down through the states.
"Cities are on the front line of homeland security, but in the back of the line for funding. We're sending $87 billion to Iraq for reconstruction, but we can't even get $4 billion spent in direct funding to our first responders to protect Americans," said Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.
More:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/11/national/main572664.shtml