Haley Stevens: “the Stabenow amendment would pencil in $5 billion for interoperable radio equipment into the budget resolution but…”

“the Stabenow amendment would pencil in $5 billion for interoperable radio equipment into the budget resolution but provides no money for the first responders. But when the junior Senator from Michigan has been given opportunity to vote for real money for police and firefighters, she has repeatedly voted no. Not only has she voted no, she actively worked to kill funding for the first responders. The Senate budget reconciliation bill last year included $1 billion in hard dollars for grants to States and local governments for new interoperable radio equipment. Michigan would have received a portion of that money for its police and firefighters, but the Senator from Michigan voted no. The conference report on the budget reconciliation measure dedicated $1 billion for spectrum auction proceeds for interoperable equipment for first responders. Again, the Senator from Michigan voted no. Fortunately, she lost that vote. The bill with $1 billion was signed into law, and money is now being made available for important grants. When the Defense appropriations conference report was considered last December, I added another $1 billion for interoperable communications equipment. That was long after Hurricane Katrina had revealed to all of us the importance of communications equipment in a disaster. The measure included another $1 billion for grants to high-risk cities, such as Detroit.…”