In wake of bin Laden intel, Gillibrand wants $ecurity money

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants $300 million to beef up transportation security after it was reported that al Qaeda was targeting passenger train systems for a terror attack.

"We must remain vigilant and ensure law enforcement officials and our rail carriers have the resources needed to keep us safe," Mrs. Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, wrote to Senate colleagues in charge of the relevant purse strings. "We must be conscious of the budget challenges we face as a nation, but protecting the passengers, travelers and commuters using our transportation infrastructure is a responsibility we cannot afford to cut.”

The commandos that raided Osama bin Laden's Pakistan compound recovered troves of intel on computers, thumb drives and even hand-written notebooks.

One of the immediate revelations that came out was the fact that our train system could be targeted for attack.

It seems like what Mrs. Gillibrand is asking for wouldn't be much different from levels in previous years — $300 million for the Transportation Security Grant Program for FY '12, including $20 of $20 million for the Intercity Passenger Rail Security Program and $15 million for the Freight Rail Security Program.

So, looks like advocacy for a certainty, unless I'm mistaken, which I often am but never admit to.