On the recordJune 2, 2015
I thank the ranking member and my brother in the Law Enforcement Caucus, David Reichert, from Washington. I want to thank my colleagues who have joined in a strong show of bipartisan support for the COPS program, Ms. Herrera Beutler and Mr. Dent included. Let us be clear what this amendment does. The Reichert amendment increases funding for the Byrne JAG by $100 million for hiring purposes, a critical step--I think, an important message. Our amendment is supported by the major voices in the law enforcement community, including the National Association of Police Organizations, the Major County Sheriffs Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the Sergeant Benevolent Association, so I urge my colleagues to support it. But despite all of the debate about community policing happening across our Nation, as Mr. Reichert referred to, the American people need to know that, despite what our amendment does, the underlying bill eliminates the Federal COPS Hiring Program. It is simply unacceptable that every year we ask the law enforcement community to do more and more with less and less. Mr. Chairman, in last year's House bill, the COPS program was cut by $109 million, 61 percent. So we can pontificate all we want about how we are behind the police officers of this country, but what we continue to do with successful programs, successful programs by any account, cut and cut.…
