Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 5615, the Homeland Security Capabilities Preservation Act. In the wake of September 11, there was a recognition that cities across the Nation could be targeted for terrorism and that they did not have the resources to develop core capabilities to prevent, protect against, and respond to terrorist attacks and other catastrophic events on their own. Starting in 2003, cities across the Nation began receiving dedicated counterterrorism grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative grant program. The UASI program, as it has come to be known, provides first responders with the tools, resources, and training they need to safely and effectively protect their communities. At its height, the UASI program funded approximately 60 cities. In recent years, however, the number of cities receiving funding from the program has been reduced to, on average, 30 each year. While support to cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago has remained constant, year-to-year fluctuations in grant funding levels and changes in DHS' risk formula have resulted in some cities losing funding unexpectedly. As a result, cities like Orlando, Las Vegas, and Omaha face uncertainty year after year about whether they will receive UASI funding or will be forced to try and maintain core homeland security capabilities on their own.…”