Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) announced today that he has locked in a New Jersey delegation classified briefing with key Department of Homeland Security (DHS) experts to discuss the intelligence and data used as the basis for the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant allocation for Fiscal Year 2005. The briefing is currently set for January 6, 2005, in Washington, D.C. 

    “As soon as it became clear that New Jersey’s threat-based grants from Homeland Security were in question, I contacted Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson, a top official at DHS who has been very responsive in the past to New Jersey’s concerns. He promised me he would facilitate a classified briefing, and I believe the meeting with be extremely helpful,” Smith said.

    “We will listen very carefully to the methodology and threat data used by DHS to arrive at their FY 2005 UASI allocation. We will make sure they know fully about the threats facing our state and the efforts that have been made at the state level to address and enhance local security. We will make the best factual case possible so that our citizens are treated fairly and given the fullest consideration for funding and protection from terrorism,” Smith remarked.

    The purpose of the classified briefing is to have DHS program experts brief the New Jersey Congressional delegation on the Department’s threat data and detailed rationale for their FY 2005 allocation decisions. New Jersey’s UASI allocation was smaller in FY 2005 than it was in FY 2004. Comparing the FY 2005 and FY 2004 allocations – both of which distributed funds to 50 cities and metropolitan areas – 7 areas saw their funding totally eliminated; 7 were added to the funding list; 29 cities, such as the two in New Jersey, experienced funding reductions; and 14 cities received UASI funding increases.

    Smith has extended an invitation to attend the briefing to the entire Congressional and Senatorial delegation, including the Acting Governor, Richard Codey and his Counter-Terrorism chief, Sidney Caspersen. A member of their staff with the required security clearance is also eligible to participate in the briefing.

    The classified briefing will be conducted by Asa Hutchinson, the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security at the Department of Homeland Security and Sue Mencer Director of the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP), which manages the UASI grant program, as well as representatives from the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP) division.

    “It is also important to note that the UASI grants are the smaller piece of the overall Homeland Security Funding program. Regrettably, most of the homeland security grants New Jersey receives are not threat-based at all, but instead are formula-based and written into statute. The Bush Administration and House leadership have been pushing reforms to make these grants threat-based, but the reform provisions in the 9/11 Intelligence Reform bill and the Homeland Security Appropriations bill were blocked in the Senate. I will continue to push for these reforms so that even more support is available for high risk areas like New Jersey,” Smith said.