(2003-11-23) -- Millions of dollars earmarked by Congress for anti-terrorism efforts in the Washington D.C. area were, in fact, spent on items critical to defending the Homeland, according to local government officials.

The announcement comes after a Washington Post story alleged that local agencies "spent millions on pet projects" with little relevance to Homeland security.

Below are some examples of items purchased and their relevance to national security.

-- Leather jackets for police officers: The jackets were actually made of pigskin to ward off Islamic terrorists.
-- A $350,000 custom-made fire boat for a small volunteer fire company: This boat was designed to extinguish the river if terrorists were to set it on fire.
-- A security system for the Prince George's County prosecutor: The first line of defense against terror is to protect the file cabinets, computers and office supplies of law enforcement agencies.

Although the utility of such expenditures is debatable, the main concern in Congress today is that of the $324 million allocated to local governments in the wake of 9/11, nearly 40 percent remains unspent.

"The inefficiency of local government is stunning," said one unnamed House Democrat. "If we had maintained control of those funds, we would have spent that money twice by now."