Jim Ramstad: “Edmund Burke put it best when he said the main reason we have government is to keep people safe. That is why the cut…”

“Edmund Burke put it best when he said the main reason we have government is to keep people safe. That is why the cut made by the committee is extremely disappointing. We need to restore the funding for the important Byrne grant program. In my home State of Minnesota, I have seen firsthand the importance of Byrne grants to local police in reducing crime and drugs and improving public safety. Byrne grants fund critical overtime pay, task forces, equipment and ``buy'' money. How else are you going to prosecute drug cases if you do not have Byrne grants to provide ``buy'' money? Without this money, Minnesota would lose nearly half of its 20 multijurisdictional drug task forces. We all know in this body that violent crime is at a 30 year low. Why go backwards? We must never forget our cops are on the front lines in the war on crime, fighting drug dealers and protecting our homeland. I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment to restore funding for the important Byrne grants. Let us restore this program to the 2005 levels. It is time to honor the sacrifices made each and every day by our Nation's law enforcement community and give our finest the support they deserve.”