Terror funds

So, NYC and DC are upset that their federal terror funds are being cut for FY06. NYC is getting just 60 percent of its 2005 allotment – $124 million compared with 2005's $208 mil. DC is getting just $46 million – down from $77.5 last year. I imagine there is at least some wisdom behind the ...

So, NYC and DC are upset that their federal terror funds are being cut for FY06. NYC is getting just 60 percent of its 2005 allotment - $124 million compared with 2005's $208 mil. DC is getting just $46 million - down from $77.5 last year. I imagine there is at least some wisdom behind the cuts - equipment doesn't need to be repurchased every year, right? - but what about overtime for all those cops guarding high-risk targets? 

So, NYC and DC are upset that their federal terror funds are being cut for FY06. NYC is getting just 60 percent of its 2005 allotment – $124 million compared with 2005's $208 mil. DC is getting just $46 million – down from $77.5 last year. I imagine there is at least some wisdom behind the cuts – equipment doesn't need to be repurchased every year, right? – but what about overtime for all those cops guarding high-risk targets? 

What's most surprising is that some major American cities may not be eligible for terror funds at all come 2007. We're talking Las Vegas, San Diego, and Phoenix, among others. I suppose there's the silver lining of the feds believing your city's chances of being a target have dropped, but nothing for Las Vegas? Talk about a gamble.

Carolyn O'Hara is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.