Federal Funding for Biological Weapons Prevention and Defense, Fiscal Years 2001 to 2008

INTRODUCTION

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, the U.S. government has spent or allocated over $40 billion among 11 federal departments and agencies to address the threat of biological weapons. For Fiscal Year 2008 (FY2008), the Bush Administration is proposing an additional $6.77 billion in bioweapons-related spending, approximately $550 million (9%) more than the amount that Congress appropriated for FY2007. U.S. funding for bioweapons-related activities focuses primarily on research, development, and acquisition of medical countermeasures and protective equipment, enhancing medical surveillance and environmental detection of biological weapons agents, and improving state, local, and hospital preparedness. The Department of Defense proposes to double the amount of money that it spends on efforts to prevent the development, acquisition and use of biological weapons by states and terrorists and other non-state actors in FY2008. However, activities aimed at prevention still account for less than 2% of all
federal bioweapons-related funding since FY2001. Further strengthening of prevention efforts, including a commitment to broad cooperative international action, are essential for improving our nation’s security.