Homeland Security Director Ridge Asks for Additional Spending on Bioterrorism Defense

Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge has said that he plans to request additional funds in President Bush's next budget to boost the nation's defenses against bioterrorism, "placing a priority" on "urgent improvements" in the U.S. public health system, the New York Times reports. Ridge recommended dedicating funding for financing additional laboratories, training more epidemiologists and improving state and local health departments nationwide to ensure that they have a "minimum capacity" to address bioterrorism. Although Ridge said that the CDC has "responded well" to recent anthrax incidents, he added, "I also see a system that needs to grow and be more flexible." He said that the "expertise" at the CDC "had to be supplemented" at state and local levels. Ridge said that he wants to create a system where the federal government would provide funds to upgrade local public health facilities "but allow states spending flexibility." According to the New York Times, Ridge has not decided the "precise amount of money needed" in the budget for homeland security, but "signaled that he would seek billions of dollars." Ridge said, "We need to be stronger. We need to be larger. We need to be better" (Mitchell, New York Times, 11/22).