US House passes USD42.3bn budget for homeland security efforts

US' Republican-controlled House passed a USD42.3 billion budget for the government's homeland security efforts after an ongoing debate that showed resistance for some of the spending cuts (AP, 02-Jun-2011). Lawmakers erased cuts to popular grant programmes for local fire departments, and after Republican conservatives tried but failed to add millions of dollars to a variety of border security initiatives. Homeland security bears a USD1.1 billion cut however Republicans proposed funds for homeland security and port and transit security grants be cut by USD2.1 billion below President Obama's request. The cuts to grant programmes freed up funding for core homeland security programmes such as border security, immigration control, airport security and the Coast Guard. The legislation cuts off funding for new advanced airport scanners and the administration's USD76 million request for an additional 275 scanners has been denied.