David Price: “I have a simple and straightforward amendment that I am offering as a result of the long debate we've had, the many…”

“I have a simple and straightforward amendment that I am offering as a result of the long debate we've had, the many amendments we've adopted, and where we stand at the end of this. The amendment would allocate $5 million, a modest adjustment, to FEMA's Firefighter Assistance Grants, specifically, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, the SAFER program. As I'm sure most Members know, the SAFER program helps local fire departments to increase the number of frontline firefighters. The goal is for fire departments to increase their staffing and deployment capabilities, and ultimately to obtain 24-hour staffing. We, in this bill, have done our very best to more adequately fund the fire grants and the SAFER program. But the need is great, and we believe this is a prudent and useful and productive place to invest these additional funds. Mr. Chairman, this amendment has been cleared on both sides of the aisle. I ask our colleagues to approve this critical funding for our firefighters.”