Political Quotes

“My motion this morning moves $15 million from an unauthorized program that provides free legal assistance to illegal immigrants at the southern border to the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program. The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program--or Byrne JAG, as it is commonly known--is a leading source of law enforcement assistance funding to State, local, and Tribal jurisdictions across the United States. Its namesake was Edward Byrne. He was a New York City police officer. He was known by Eddie to his family and his friends. He was outgoing. He was a friendly individual who wanted to make his city a safer place. In 1987, Officer Byrne joined the New York City Police Department. He was well liked by his fellow officers, and he was passionate about his work. However, in the early morning hours of February 26, 1988, Officer Byrne was on detail protecting a witness who had testified against local drug dealers. Officer Byrne was in his patrol car outside the witness' home when armed gunmen crept up to his car and shot him five times in the head. He died of his injuries. The NYPD lost one of its finest that day, and Eddie's family lost a cherished son and a brother. He was only age 22. In honor of Officer Byrne, Congress subsequently created the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. In 2019 alone, Byrne JAG assisted nearly 1,000 State, local, and Tribal jurisdictions.…”