Chris Van Hollen: “our firefighters put their lives on the line every single day, charging into danger whenever duty calls. That is why we…”

“our firefighters put their lives on the line every single day, charging into danger whenever duty calls. That is why we have a duty to back them up--not just in words but also in deeds by providing them with the resources and facilities they need and deserve. The underlying bill today extends critical programs to provide training, equipment, and personnel, and I commend the chairman of the committee and the full committee for their action on this. But there is also an urgent need to repair crumbling, insufficiently safe firehouses. Nearly half of the fire stations across the country require major repairs. Forty-six percent of them do not have systems that prevent our first responders from being exposed to mold or cancerous carcinogens. Some have proposed that we address this by taking funds from the assistance to firefighters grants for station construction, but that program is already overprescribed. In fact, in 2020 alone, over $2 billion in requests competed for just $319 million. That is why the firefighters oppose the amendment to poach moneys from the underlying fund. This measure--this amendment does not poach those moneys. It adds an authorization so that we can have additional funds, when appropriate and if appropriated by the Congress, to provide for fire stations that are crumbling. This is based on a bill, a bipartisan bill I introduced with Senator Murkowski, and I appreciate her support for this amendment.…”