Homeland Security Funding Lacks Interoperability Money

WASHINGTON From the day he was sworn in to Congress in 2005, Rep. Dave Reichert has positioned himself as the first friend of first responders: the police, firefighters and emergency medical crews called in when disaster strikes.

With the backdrop of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, during which police and firefighters were unable to contact each other as the World Trade Center towers collapsed, Reichert has said compatibility of emergency communications is "my single greatest priority."

But Democrats say Reichert, R-Auburn and chairman of the emergency-preparedness panel of the House Homeland Security Committee, caved to GOP leadership pressure over the issue.

Reichert, a former King County sheriff, agreed to strip funding for communications compatibility known as interoperability from the Homeland Security appropriations bill that passed the House overwhelmingly on Friday. The Senate also passed the bill Friday.

"Republicans on the committee rolled over," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., the ranking Democrat on Reichert's subcommittee. Pascrell said Reichert's concession to party chiefs was "a major disappointment."

Reichert said he made reasonable compromises to pass the bill, which also makes major changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"This bill was going nowhere with any sort of grant legislation attached," he said. He said he would press for funding next year, adding, "I'm not finished yet."

The bill would give FEMA more independence and professionalism within the Department of Homeland Security, Reichert said. FEMA's director, now with the rank of deputy secretary, would report directly to the president during an emergency or major disaster.

In a speech in the House last week, Reichert defended the lack of money for improved emergency communications, saying it would be premature to provide grants before the government establishes standards for communications equipment and broadcast spectrum.

Reichert chaired four hearings on the communications matter beginning last October.

In May, he introduced a bill to change FEMA, which displayed significant disarray after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The bill would have created a special Emergency Communications Office within FEMA to set standards for emergency communications and oversee grants for new equipment. The 9/11 Commission called compatibility of emergency communications a priority and urged Congress to fund improvements.

Reichert's bill passed the Homeland Security Committee on May 17.

But shortly afterward, FEMA funding became the target of a turf war among Republicans.

Money for communications grants $3.1 billion was approved by the Senate in July was removed from the bill during heated negotiations over Labor Day.

And Republican leaders moved the Emergency Communications Office out of FEMA and into the larger Department of Homeland Security, said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.

"It's petty jurisdictional nonsense about who gets a piece of the pie," said Pascrell, who added, "Dave and I have talked about the need to fund the operability grants ad nauseam."

Reichert's work in support of first responders has been crucial to his popularity with police and firefighters groups. Last week, he won the endorsement of the Seattle Police Guild, which cited Reichert's "tremendous strides toward improving communication between all first responders."

Sgt. Rich O'Neill, president of the guild, was understanding of Reichert's quandary over the homeland-security legislation.

"Politics being what it is, he has to do what he has to do," O'Neill said.

Thompson disagreed. "For five years, after 9/11 and Katrina, we talked about interoperability," said Thompson, a volunteer firefighter for 20 years. "But when it came time to act, Republican leaders told Congressman Reichert what he had to do."

Reichert was a leader in the House Homeland Security Committee's bipartisan negotiations and helped persuade House Speaker Dennis Hastert to keep FEMA in the Department of Homeland Security but make it more independent.

"I fought Don Young on that," Reichert said, referring to the titan of the Transportation Committee, a long-term Republican from Alaska.

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, worked on the emergency-communications funding provisions and was frustrated by the final bill. Her aide, Alex Glass, said, "Time and again the Republicans talked about security as a priority, but when it comes to funding, nothing's there."

The bill calls for the secretary of Homeland Security to begin a study on a National Emergency Communications Plan within six months after it is signed.

Alicia Mundy: 202-662-7457 or