Cord Byrd: “The bill is a good bill. It was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 29 to 0. That unanimous…”

“The bill is a good bill. It was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 29 to 0. That unanimous vote could not have been possible without the cooperation, the support, and the leadership of the distinguished Senator from Alaska, the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Ted Stevens. As I indicated yesterday, the Appropriations Committee held extensive hearings on the President's supplemental request and on the needs for homeland defense. We heard from terrorism experts about the continuing threat to our Nation. We heard from Governors. We heard from mayors. We heard from the first responders: Our police, fire, and medical personnel. They all testified to a continuing need for resources to expand our capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to terrorist attacks. We took testimony from seven Cabinet members and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Our former colleagues in this body, Sam Nunn and Warren Rudman, testified to the very real threat that this Nation faces.”