Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., voted in favor of final conference report legislation that would help improve the nation’s defense against domestic and international terrorism.

The Senate passed H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill conference report, today. This is the third appropriations bill sent to the President this year.

“A country’s border defines it on a map and just as a country on a map is defined by its borders, so the United States is defined by our ability to protect and maintain those borders against man-made and natural threats. This bill provides the funds to preempt terrorists and prepare for natural disasters,” said Enzi.

The bill would provide more than $31 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. More than $5 billion is designated for Customs and Border Protection, about $4 billion for the Transportation Security Administration, around $8 billion for the Coast Guard, and about $2.5 billion to state and local homeland security programs.

Enzi was particularly pleased that the bill contained language to specify that all states receive the minimum of .75 percent of all state and local homeland security grant funds with the rest being allocated according to risk assessment.

“New York may be in much, much more danger of a terrorist attack than Wyoming, but that doesn’t mean Wyoming should have to go completely without the means to prepare. It is essential that Wyoming, with several national parks, busy interstates, and it’s role as one of the country’s largest energy providers, receives adequate funding. A terrorist attack in a more populated area of the country may affect a larger percentage of the population, but a terrorist attack in a rural area would still affect 100 percent of that area’s population. Ensuring that Wyoming gets homeland security dollars is important in preparing the entire country for a possible attack,” said Enzi.