Dianne Feinstein: “This emergency supplemental provides $2 billion through the Office of Domestic Preparedness for State and local…”

“This emergency supplemental provides $2 billion through the Office of Domestic Preparedness for State and local governments and first responders for homeland security. It also states in the Conference Report that $30 million of the $2 billion should go to provide "technical assistance to States for a variety of activities" and mentions "assistance with interoperable communications and equipment" as one such activity. But nowhere is there a specific earmark for interoperable communications, and none of the $30 million mentioned for "technical assistance" will go directly to the people who need it most-- policemen, firefighters, and emergency assistance personnel. And even if some fraction of the $30 million does trickle down to public safety first responders, this is simply not enough to make a dent in the problem. There are, today, about 2.5 million public safety first responders operating in the U.S., located at 18,000 law enforcement agencies, 26,000 fire departments, 6,000 rescue departments, and many other agencies as well.”