David Price: “Let me state it very plainly: We need to increase funding for Urban Areas Security Initiative grants, UASI grants, to a…”

“Let me state it very plainly: We need to increase funding for Urban Areas Security Initiative grants, UASI grants, to a minimum of the 2011 level of $725 million. I offered amendments in full committee and asked for a waiver from the Rules Committee in order to do just that. Now, the majority has taken over $2.2 billion appropriated for these grant programs in 2011 and has consolidated them into a block grant of $1 billion. If you take that $1 billion, which includes all of these State and local grants, and then you reduce this for the statutory carve-outs, and then you reduce it again, assuming the minimum statutory funding for the States, what is going to be left? There is going to be half a billion dollars for UASI, for ports, for rail, for transit, and for other key grants all together. This is simply not enough. Unfortunately, the proposed offset is also unacceptable. This bill, just like the 2011 final CR, greatly reduced fencing, infrastructure, and technology projects to secure our borders. While some of this reduction is due to a termination of the SBInet contract, this proposed additional cut would prevent CBP from acquiring off-the-shelf technology to support our Border Patrol along the southwest border, as well as to conduct pilot projects on our northern border. So the offset would be a damaging reduction. But this simply illustrates the impossible dilemma posed by this bill.…”