Supplemental budget boosts IT spending

President Bush asked Congress March 21 for an additional $27.1 billion in emergency funding for fiscal 2002 to add resources for the war on terrorism, homeland security and economic recovery.Information technology projects included in the request cover areas such as infrastructure protection, biometrics, the Cybercorps and standards development.The president is asking for $14 billion for the war on terrorism, $4.2 billion for homeland security, $1.7 billion for international assistance and embassy protection, $750 million for economic recovery and $5.4 billion for assistance to New York. Many of the IT initiatives are included in the portion earmarked for homeland security.Highlights from the request:*$19.3 million for implementation and homeland security activities of the new Border Enforcement Program within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration;*$3.5 million to upgrade the Crisis Management Center into a new Transportation Information Operations Center;*$2.5 million for the General Services Administration to help protect against potential disruptions in IT infrastructure;*$5.8 million for the Justice Department to deploy the Automated Biometrics Identification System and Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System to 30 additional ports of entry;*$19.3 million to the National Science Foundation to provide additional funds for the Cybercorps and Scholarships for Service program;*$13 million for the Commerce Department to begin the Homeland Security Information Technology and Evaluation Program and for standards development for equipment to detect chemical, biological, nuclear and radioactive explosive threats.Bush also is asking for $1.4 billion for the Department of Defense for critical command, control, communications and intelligence support to military operations and classified programs including the National Foreign Intelligence Program.Another $900 million is being requested for various programs critical to the war effort, including Guantanamo Bay, information operations and Special Operations Command requirements.