Anthony Weiner: “I won't take the full balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, we create in this bill a port grant program which provides…”

“I won't take the full balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, we create in this bill a port grant program which provides allocation to go to States and localities to take steps to ensure homeland security around ports. But frankly without this amendment, we will not really have any good way of knowing how the moneys are being spent. We have learned through grant programs in other elements of the homeland security bill that we are finding that once States and localities get the money for these grants, they are not spending them in a very wise way. For example, when Converse, Texas, got funds for homeland security, they used it to spend $3,000 for a trailer which was used to transport lawn mowers to lawn mower drag races in that county. We found that in Columbus, Ohio, over $7,000 was used to purchase bullet-proof vests for dogs. In fact, when the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General looked at one State, Indiana, to try find out if the funds were being spent prudently, they found that the county emergency preparedness coordinator had purchased a $30,000 emergency hazardous material trailer truck that he was using as a commuter vehicle back and forth to work. We found out about a lot of these things not because the process was transparent, but because often States and localities bragged about them.…”