Political Quotes

“I want to share the very gracious remarks on the part of the chair of the full committee, the chair of the subcommittee, the outstanding ranking member, and all the staff for the important work you did on this bill. Over the past year, we have experienced the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, heartbreak in Moore, Oklahoma, tragic acts of terror in Boston. Disasters, natural or manmade, pose risks to our communities, which must be matched with the resources of the Federal Government and, in particular, the Department of Homeland Security. The bill before us, which is approximately $35 million below the administration's request, does a good job of meeting these tasks, yet inadequately funds other programs such as operational accounts, which face cuts so severe that they cannot realistically be implemented. I do thank the chairman and ranking member for including several priorities, providing $1.5 billion for FEMA State and local grants which were underfunded in the request, prioritizing high-risk areas in our grant programs, continuing the Securing the Cities program to prevent radiological or nuclear attacks, making needed investments in cybersecurity, and including language to help stem sexual assault in the Coast Guard, which has become a significant and outrageous problem in the military.…”