From: HSToday.US

By: Mickey McCarter

The House moved ahead Wednesday with a continuing resolution for fiscal year 2013 that would largely hold government spending at levels set in 2012. The simple $1.047 trillion spending measure also contains several specific provisions on disaster relief, border security and cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The continuing resolution (HJ Res. 117) would fund DHS and other federal agencies for roughly six months through March 27, 2013. The bill would hold funding for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at $6.4 billion for disaster recovery assistance to states.

While the spending measure would hold DHS largely to levels in the DHS Appropriations Act of 2012 (Division D of Public Law 112-74), it would also provide DHS with some spending flexibility in border security and cybersecurity.

The bill specifies that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) should maintain its current staffing levels and it can spend more money to do so than it did in 2012 if necessary.

CBP salaries and expenses “shall be obligated at the rate for operations necessary to maintain the staffing levels (including by backfilling vacant positions) of Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, and Air and Marine interdiction agents in effect at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012, or, with respect to Border Patrol agents, at such greater levels as may otherwise be required” in FY 2012 spending levels, the bill said.

Furthermore under the bill, DHS is provided increased spending authority for its cybersecurity efforts. Infrastructure Protection and Information Security at the National Protection and Programs Directorate would receive $1.17 billion in the continuing resolution, which sets aside $328 million for network security deployment and $218 million for federal network security “to establish and sustain essential cybersecurity activities, including procurement and operations of continuous monitoring and diagnostics systems and intrusion detection systems for civilian federal computer networks,” the bill said.

The bill also would give additional money over 2012 levels for the safety and security of US nuclear weapons. It would provide additional funding to the US Forest Service for wildfire suppression.

It also would continue a pay freeze for all federal employees, including those at DHS. 

Unhappy lawmakers

Although the continuing resolution is viewed as necessary to fund the federal government before Congress adjourns for the campaign season leading up to the presidential election, congressional appropriators were not happy with the necessity of introducing the bill.

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Monday, “I am pleased that this continuing resolution (CR) provides the full $1.047 trillion funding level included in the Budget Control Act for Fiscal Year 2013. In addition, the CR provides a level of funding that will enable the federal government to meet its disaster assistance obligations for the next six months.

“This is a very clean CR, but I would note that the small number of anomalies included will allow us to avoid disruptions in the basic services provided by the federal government. However, let no one think that putting the government on autopilot for a full six months is a good idea. Resources that could have been used for more urgent or important projects will instead be available for lower-priority items. For this reason, I will continue to work toward passage of appropriations bills that will properly fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year,” he said.

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, voiced frustration that the Senate did not move on spending bills for FY 2013 despite the full House passing seven of 12 annual spending bills, including a DHS spending bill.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a DHS spending measure for FY 2013 in May but the full Senate failed to act on the bill.

“I’m deeply disappointed that the House and Senate were unable to complete appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year. My committee members worked relentlessly to produce legislation that adequately and responsibly funds the federal government, and did so in a timely manner. Unfortunately, with the Senate’s inaction and election-year politics in play, our committee’s bills will not be negotiated before the end of the fiscal year, and therefore a temporary funding Band-Aid is necessary to prevent a government shutdown,” Rogers said Monday.

DHS funding also faces the possibility of sequestration, which would mandate a cut of 7.8 percent in FY 2013 spending at the department if Congress fails to act. Some observers speculated that the continuing resolution would address this issue but as of Wednesday, it was silent on the issue, which is likely to be dealt with separately, if at all, in separate action after the presidential election on Nov. 6.