Barbara Mikulski: “this joint funding resolution is not what anyone wanted. We are in this position because the last Congress failed to do…”

“this joint funding resolution is not what anyone wanted. We are in this position because the last Congress failed to do its job. We had no choice. We were determined to stay within strict spending limits while trying to address compelling needs. I believe we have done the best we can do. We were able to take care of the most important priorities facing the nation without going over our spending limits. In the Commerce, Justice, Science chapter of this resolution, we were able to increase funding for the Department of Justice by $1.4 billion over last year to ensure there were no cuts to the FBI and the war against terror. We provided the FBI with a $333 million increase over the old CR which fully funds the FBI, U.S. attorneys and the Bureau of Prisons. More importantly, the additional $1.4 billion eliminates the cuts to State and local law enforcement proposed in the President's budget. At a time when crime rates are going back up according to the most recent FBI crime statistics, we fully fund the COPS program, as well as programs to fight gangs and sexual predators. Protecting our neighborhoods and communities remains our No. 1 priority and this extra funding is proof of our commitment to make America safer.”