Bill Pascrell: “As a former mayor, I have always believed that our Nation's first responders constitute both our first and our last line…”

“As a former mayor, I have always believed that our Nation's first responders constitute both our first and our last line of defense for the American people. This continuing resolution before us today fails our first responders. Regrettably, we are treating these public safety officers as being non-security, discretionary spending and have subjected them to drastic cuts. Real homeland security starts on our streets. We all remember on 9/11 when we were attacked on our own soil. It was our brave cops and firefighters who ran into the burning buildings. The Federal Government was not there. To say that funding our cops and firefighters is not national security spending is ludicrous. Our brave local police officers and firefighters who protect our streets day and night are the very essence of our national security. Earlier in the process we debated the COPS Program. An amendment tonight restores critical funding for its counterpart, the FIRE Act and the SAFER Grant programs. The continuing resolution significantly reduces funding for the FIRE Act and eliminates all funding for SAFER grants, over $510 million in cuts in total. This would absolutely be devastating for our public safety professionals who rely on this funding for the equipment and personnel they need to protect our communities.”