Lawmakers push for transit security funding after Russia attack

A group of House lawmakers wants to ensure that mass transit systems receive the necessary resources to beef up transportation security, especially in the wake of a deadly subway bombing in Russia this week.

In a letter to House appropriators on Tuesday, the representatives called for “robust” federal funding for the Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP), which provides money to transit systems to secure their infrastructure and protect against terrorist attacks.

The lawmakers also added that they oppose folding TSGP into a larger Homeland Security grant program, as has been proposed in the past. Instead, they prefer a distinct funding stream.

{mosads}“We understand that the current budget climate makes funding choices difficult,” they wrote. “However, we request that you keep in mind the consequences of failing to commit sufficient resources to protect mass transit systems used daily by millions of Americans. The small amount of money spent now could be dwarfed by the savings in lives and damage by preventing a horrific attack.”

The letter, which was spearheaded by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and signed by 84 other House members, comes one day after a subway explosion in Russia killed at least 11 people.

Transit hubs have long been top targets for terrorists. TSGP grants are doled out to help transportation systems improve surveillance training, raise public awareness and increase detection equipment and security cameras.

But there have been growing concerns over the fate of such programs under President Trump’s budget proposal, which would cut certain security programs implemented after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The spending blueprint would reduce Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response teams, which sweep transit hubs, often using bomb-sniffing dogs, and are designed to serve as a visible security presence around airports, train stations and ports.

Trump’s budget also would eliminate TSA grants to state and local jurisdictions that patrol airports.

But the Homeland Security Department overall would receive a 6.8 percent bump, to $44 billion, under Trump’s proposal. Appropriators are in the process of assembling legislation to fund the agency, which houses the TSGP program.

“The special challenges in securing mass transit systems and the potential disaster that could occur from an attack mean we have to be extra cognizant of providing the necessary resources for this transportation sector,” the House lawmakers wrote. “One way the federal government addresses this serious security threat is through TSGP.”