Grassley says states shouldn’t worry about more fed funds for security

The nation’s governors, including Iowa’s Tom Vilsack, are pleading with federal officials for more money so they can keep up with homeland security mandates, but U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa says it shouldn’t be such a big deal. Grassley says “You don’t have to have a guilty conscience about not meeting a federal responsibility. Just do the best you can with what you’ve got now until you get additional help.” He adds, the federal government will have to help states if the federal government demands the states fulfill certain obligations. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack says states are trying to cope with extra security and the training of emergency teams to handle bio-threats and need more money to do it. Grassley says the federal government is still suffering a little as it wasn’t organized to handle these sorts of requests until recently. He says the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t been in place that long and as soon as it gets things in order, money will start to flow.Grassley has conducted several public hearings about preparedness in Iowa since the nine/eleven attacks and says he’s heard the most complaints from Iowa’s first-responders and their need for more money so they can all keep in better touch.He says communications improvements are needed so police, fire, hospitals and other emergency response crews are all on the same radio system.