Obama Cut Domestic Bomb Prevention Budget by 45%

The Obama Administration cut the budget for domestic bomb prevention by 45%, according to former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection Robert Liscouski. 

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Liscouski said under President George W. Bush the Department of Homeland Security allocated $20 million for thwarting domestic use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by terrorists. Under Obama, the funding has fallen to $11 million.

By contrast, says Liscouski, “the Defense Department’s Joint IED Defeat Organization had a budget of $1 billion per year focused on preventing IEDs in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters. Clearly more money needs to be focused on countering domestic IEDs.”

As recently as February of this year, Obama released a document titled “Countering Improvised Explosive Devices,” wherein the president declared his commitment to stopping IED use by terrorists.

“Our capabilities to counter IEDs have evolved and grown,” wrote Obama in an introductory letter included in the report. “We must not become complacent.”