Chris Dodd: “The chairman is very gracious. He has probably worn out his patience on this amendment. This amendment is an…”

“The chairman is very gracious. He has probably worn out his patience on this amendment. This amendment is an extraordinary amendment. I fully understand that. I believe the events, particularly over the last week, have highlighted the extraordinary times we are in and the challenges we face. The bulk of the $16 billion is not to first responders but to harbors, port and chemical plants where there is great vulnerability today. Recently, I was in Seville, Spain, attending a conference. I rode the train from Seville to Madrid and arrived in the same station where the attacks occurred in March of 2004. My luggage, when I got on the train in Seville to go to Madrid, was quickly checked through a scanning system. We have nothing like that. I am not suggesting had something like that existed in London the problem could have been avoided. I know terrorists might have used another means to attack as they did that day, but it minimizes the possibility. The vulnerabilities we have in our country today in the areas I have described demand attention. With all due respect, this bill is a reduction in funding for these areas, not an increase. We ought to be doing more. This amendment is a large amount, but to do less would be a tragedy. I hope the waiver will be adopted.”