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June 27, 2005
The Honorable Susan Collins
Chairman
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Dear Madam Chairman:
I wanted to take this opportunity to follow up on information that you had requested while discussing transit and rail security funding with one of my staff who was recently traveling through the Portland airport.
As you know, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security set Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 funding for an important transit and rail security program at only two-thirds of the FY 2005 program level. The Subcommittee-approved bill would fund the transit and rail security program at $100 million in FY 2006, compared to a $150 million program level in FY 2005. This reduction would make it more difficult to adequately protect the millions of Americans who ride public transportation each day. In contrast, the Administration's FY 2006 Department of Homeland Security budget request proposed significant increases in federal grants for the protection of critical infrastructure, including public transportation.
Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the federal government has spent $18 billion on aviation security and only $250 million for public transportation security. For public transportation alone, APTA has identified more than $6 billion in security needs. Now is not the time to reduce the federal commitment to public transit security. With 9.6 billion trips a year on public transportation, transit security is a very important issue for America's transit riders. Americans take public transportation 32 million times a day-16 times more than travel on domestic airlines. We need to take every action possible to avoid a terrorist attack on a transit system like the one in Madrid last year.
We would appreciate your help to increase funding for this program before the bill becomes law. I note that the House-passed version of the bill sets funding for this program at $150 million, the level appropriated in FY 2005. Last year, my staff met with your committee staff to discuss some of these issues. We also stand by to work with your Committee should you consider authorization legislation in the 109th Congress for the Department of Homeland Security.
If you have any questions about these issues, please have your staff contact Tom Yedinak of APTA's Government Affairs Department at (202) 496-4865 or email tyedinak@apta.com.
Sincerely yours,
William
W. Millar
President
WWM/tjj
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