Anthony Weiner: “for those viewers of this debate each year and for my colleagues who think that really very little had changed when the…”

“for those viewers of this debate each year and for my colleagues who think that really very little had changed when the House of Representatives changed from majority Republican to majority Democrat, we are seeing in this bill very profound changes in policy in this country, and none is more profound than the difference in the approach to the COPS program. This year's bill has $100 million for hiring in the COPS program. In the COPS program, as many of you know, more than 100,000 police officers in small towns, big cities throughout the country were hired in the period beginning in 1995. Yet shortly after the beginning of the Bush administration, the COPS program was slashed and slashed and slashed to essentially die on the vine. As you see in this chart, in 1995 you had in the neighborhood of 20,000 cops being hired each and every year. In 2005 and 2006, 2007, it was down to zero. In this year's bill, to the enduring credit of the chairman and ranking member and members of the committee, this is now being funded at $100 million. That is going to allow us an opportunity to hire many, many more police officers. Now, we have also, in the first couple of months of the new Congress, passed a reauthorization of the COPS program for another 50,000 cops on the beat. Now, it has gone to the other side of this building. It has gone to the other body and seems to be doing what so much legislation does, and that is dying a slow, excruciating death.”