Vito Fossella: “at the outset, let me thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the ranking member, and especially the…”

“at the outset, let me thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the ranking member, and especially the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox) for his leadership and understanding of this very complex but critical issue, as well as all Members, especially those from New York who have worked on this, such as the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) and especially the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney) who have been dogged in ensuring that New York as well as all communities get their fair share to deal with Homeland Security. Currently, Federal Homeland Security funds, and I would like to engage the Chairman in a colloquy, if I may, can be used for overtime but cannot be used to provide any support to law enforcement activities dedicated exclusively to counterterrorism. It is also prohibited to use the money for construction, which is often the very thing most needed for hardened targets. New York City has by far the largest force dedicated exclusively to counterterrorism. Every single day, we have hundreds, if not thousands of police officers protecting the lives of not just New Yorkers, but the millions who come to New York City to work and to vacation. Its officers span the globe, from Guantanamo Bay to Israel to Afghanistan, working in many instances with federal and foreign officials on intelligence initiatives.…”