March 1, 2004

Speaking in New Orleans February 26 at one of the many events around the country marking the one-year anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Tom Ridge discussed the flow of federal money for state and local homeland security.

"It's there, and we-re ready to cut the checksÉ Right now it's nobody's fault," Ridge said. "There has never been this kind of money generated down to the state and local levels since the days of revenue sharing. The mechanisms that we have in place are a little complex. There's a massive logjam, and we have to clear it up."