Rodney Frelinghuysen: “First and foremost, New Jerseyans would like to thank the gentleman from Kentucky (Chairman Rogers) for his tireless…”

“First and foremost, New Jerseyans would like to thank the gentleman from Kentucky (Chairman Rogers) for his tireless work crafting this bill. In an environment of overwhelming national security needs, he has achieved, I think, a very fair and balanced bill which will give the agencies now under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security the resources they need to keep our communities and Nation safer. However, Mr. Chairman, this evening I rise in support of the gentleman from New York's (Mr. Sweeney) amendment to this bill. New Yorkers and New Jerseyans are joined at the hip in this regard. My constituents in New Jersey and those in the New York Metropolitan Area know better than most how vulnerable an open and a free society can be. We have put a very human face on the homeland security issue. Seven hundred New Jerseyans went into Lower Manhattan on that morning never to return home, and thousands of New Yorkers did as well. The Sweeney amendment seeks to increase the High Density Urban Area Security Initiative from the $1 billion to $1.5 billion.”