On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
I rise this morning in strong opposition to the Republican spending plan that would hurt Missouri families that I represent and make it harder for police to keep our neighborhoods safe. In St. Louis, we learned yesterday that a $4.6 million budget shortfall for our city's police department might not be covered, which would cost the city 65 active duty officers. Now, some in Congress are talking about slashing critical programs like the COPS program and pulling over 1,300 police officers off the streets. I'm in favor of a vigorous debate here on cutting red tape and finding commonsense solutions to our Nation's challenges, but eliminating the essential police officers from our streets would put families at risk. Americans still want this Congress to take up a jobs agenda. Instead, we're debating what's been called ideologically driven cuts that kill jobs. We live in an era of divided government and shared responsibility for America's future. I look forward to working with members of both parties to make tough choices before us and to finally be able to take up the jobs agenda that our constituents need.
