WASHINGTON – A New Jersey senator yesterday launched a border war over homeland security funding by slamming New York’s growing piece of the pie while decrying the Garden State’s shrinking share.
Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg was seething after homeland security money for Newark plummeted 17 percent, to $12.4 million, while New York City’s federal anti-terrorism aid soared 344 percent.
“It’s absolutely unfair,” Lautenberg fumed just prior to the vote on sweeping intelligence reform. “Where did they come off with this?”
Lautenberg said New Jersey got shafted although the stretch of land from Newark’s Liberty Airport to the harbor “is the biggest terrorist target in the country.”
“I don’t know whether this is a political repercussion of some kind,” Lautenberg vented.
“We’ll have a chance to talk with [Homeland Security Secretary-nominee Bernard] Kerik. We plan to do it very aggressively,” he added.
While Lautenberg steamed over the New Jersey funding cuts, New York Sen. Charles Schumer protected his home turf – but held off on taking shots at his jilted fellow Democrat.
“I think New York definitely should have gone up,” Schumer said. “But New Jersey is probably one of the states on the front lines, too.”
The drop in funding for New Jersey means the state will have to make cuts in other areas to make up for the lack of homeland security money.
“It’s a terrible assignment to have to determine whether a school program is dropped, or a health-care program; hard choices,” Lautenberg said during an earlier call with reporters.
“But the first thing on everybody’s mind is to protect our families, to protect our infrastructure.”