Hill Democrats push to add $3.4 billion for port security

Published 15 March 2006

Democrats in Congress are pushing for more port security money as the House debates a $91 billion measure for wars and hurricane recovery. The Republican-controlled House Homeland Security Committee rejected several Democratic amendments, including a wide-ranging provision which would have added $3.4 billion for port security. This is one of the amendments Democrats are expected to push today.

The debate of DP World has overshadowed the major portions of the spending measure, which provides $67.6 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $19.1 billion in new money for hurricane relief and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast. This would bring total spending on Iraq and Afghanistan since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to nearly $400 billion, and total hurricane-related spending to more than $100 billion.

-read more in this AP report