John Sarbanes: “I again underscore the tremendous need for these resources in order for our firefighters to be able to carry out their…”

“I again underscore the tremendous need for these resources in order for our firefighters to be able to carry out their responsibilities. In June of last year, not even a year ago, the Rudman Commission, headed by our former colleague Warren Rudman, issued a report entitled "Emergency Responders Drastically Underfunded, Dangerously Unprepared," that found budget shortfalls in the tens of billions of dollars. We need to address this issue. The history of the administration on this matter is regrettably a sorry tale. When we created the Fire Grant Program in 2000, the Bush Administration, when it came in, moved to eliminate the program in its preliminary budgetary vision for fiscal 2002. We had to fight the administration to put the program back in its budget request for that year. In the end, it proposed flat funding the program. After the attacks of 9/11--and as I noted earlier, we are now seeing television spots showing our firefighters carrying out their heroic responsibilities--Congress appropriated an additional $210 million in emergency spending for the program, recognizing its significance. The administration refused to spend the money initially, and eventually and reluctantly did so after an outcry from the Congress. In the fiscal year 2003 budget they proposed rolling this Fire Grant Program into the general first responder account. There was great concern in the Congress about dismantling the specific program.”