US lawmakers cut Homeland Security funding

The US House of Representatives voted Thursday to shave more than a billion dollars from next year's Department of Homeland Security budget as part of its deficit reduction plan. The Republican-held House voted 231 to 188 to cut the fiscal 2012 budget by $1.1 billion to $40.6 billion for the agency charged with fighting terror and guarding US borders.
The budget, whose fiscal year begins on October 1, is $3 billion, or seven percent less than President Barack Obama's request. "Providing for critical national security measures is a funding priority, and I'm pleased we've done so expediently while still cutting spending to more sustainable levels," said Kentucky Republican Hal Rogers, who chairs the committee that oversees the agency's budget. Democrats, however, denounced the cuts, calling them counter-productive.