Political Quotes

“I rise to address comments made by my colleagues regarding several measures for the Department of Homeland Security in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: the $248 million provided for the construction of a consolidated headquarters, and the $500 million provided to fund construction and renovation of fire stations. These are both projects that will save lives, save money, and most importantly for this bill, create jobs. The Senator from South Carolina has included funding for the DHS headquarters project among a list of what he refers to as 'cats and dogs' which he is intent on stripping from the bill. But the DHS consolidation project is far more important to our Nation than those comments might suggest. DHS is responsible for leading a unified, national effort to secure the United States, yet the Department does not have all the necessary tools to do so, including an adequate headquarters. DHS is currently spread throughout more than 70 buildings located on 40 sites across the national capital region making communication, coordination, and cooperation among DHS components a significant challenge.”