DHS FY 2012 Budget Message

Yesterday the Office of Management and Budget web site posted the President’s Budget Message including the report on the FY 2012 DHS Budget Request. This is really more of a political justification for the budget request than the actual proposed spending numbers. The actual numbers will be provided to Congress later this week. Overall spending request for DHS ($46.9 Billion) is up from the actually approved FY 2010 budget ($44.5 Billion), but down from the FY 2011 ‘estimate’ ($48.1 Billion) but no real numbers are available for FY 2011 since Congress has yet to finalize that budget.

This six-page document only provides high-level numbers so we can’t see the affect the President’s budget request would have (if Congress actually passes it) on chemical security programs. We can see decreases in TSA spending ($5.1 Billion requested; down from $5.5 Billion), and NPPD spending ($1.43 Billion requested; down from $1.44 Billion). Coast Guard discretionary spending will increase ($8.7 Billion requested, up from $8.6 Billion).

Interestingly, the only mention of critical infrastructure protection in this document is when it mentions the Comprehensive National Cyber Security Initiative and it only addresses “the vital missions of preventing terrorism and enhancing security” in passing in the opening paragraph (pg 87).

Oh, well. We’ll continue to watch the unfolding budget debates; both the FY 2011 and FY 2012 budgets. This is going to be a lovely season for blogging.