U.S. Tells D.C. to Pay Inaugural Expenses — Washington Post/Yahoo News

D.C. officials said yesterday that the Bush administration is refusing to reimburse the District for most of the costs associated with next week’s inauguration, breaking with precedent and forcing the city to divert $11.9 million from homeland security projects.

Federal officials have told the District that it should cover the expenses by using some of the $240 million in federal homeland security grants it has received in the past three years — money awarded to the city because it is among the places at highest risk of a terrorist attack.

A Republican Congressman, Thomas M. Davis of Virginia, called the administration’s position “simply not acceptable”. To put it in perspective, FDR limited his fourth inauguration to a simple speech–because the nation was at war. He felt there were better uses for public money than inaugural pomp and circumstance, and that it would be inappropriate to celebrate at the time.

How much body armor would $11.9 million buy?