Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are here today to consider my bill, H.R. 4403, the Securing the Cities Improvement Act. My bill will help cities build and maintain their security capabilities against nuclear or radiological threats. While I will emphasize the critical nature of my bill, its effectiveness hinges upon the reauthorization of the DHS Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, CWMD. Without CWMD, the Securing the Cities program will cease to operate. Securing the Cities, also called STC, was launched by the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2007 as a pilot program to support New York City, Jersey City, and Newark, New Jersey, in detecting and preventing nuclear or radiological threats. Today, the STC program provides 14 local governments, including my hometown of New Orleans, with detection equipment, training, exercise support, operational and technical support, subject matter expertise, and programmatic support. STC's work in New Orleans has supported important events such as Mardi Gras, which is a very special and joyous time in my hometown. As you know, we will have the Super Bowl next year. This will have a critical impact on its safety and delivering joy to the people of our country and our world. However, STC is limited to high-risk urban areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Urban Area Security Initiative, or UASI, program.…”