Byron Dorgan: “I support the Mikulski amendment because I think that it includes important funding for firefighter grants. The…”

“I support the Mikulski amendment because I think that it includes important funding for firefighter grants. The amendment includes $200 million for firefighter grants--the authorized level--so that we can increase the resources available for our first responders. In its current form, this amendment does not include any offsetting reductions to pay for the new investments. If this amendment is adopted today--and I hope that it will be--I intend to work with the conferees to offset these increases by reducing funds that have been earmarked for Iraqi reconstruction. I believe these expenditures should be offset with these other spending cuts. Iraq is a nation that sits on some of the largest oil reserves in the world. My view is that Iraq should pay for its own reconstruction. Last year, this Congress acted in an expedited way to appropriate $18.4 billion for Iraqi reconstruction. And yet, 10 months later, most of that money is still unspent. Less than $1 billion has been actually expended and only about $7 billion has been obligated. Therefore, I support Senator Mikulski's amendment. But my intention is to push for the rescission of those unobligated Iraqi reconstruction funds and use them to offset these needed security investments.”