Vito Fossella: “I thank the chairman and friend from Kentucky for yielding me this time, and commends him and all for crafting an…”

“I thank the chairman and friend from Kentucky for yielding me this time, and commends him and all for crafting an overall good bill. It was brought up earlier how in this comprehensive bill there is time for honest disagreement, and I think later on this evening we will try to have a good conversation about that honest disagreement, and it relates to essentially how funding goes to what we will call high-threat areas as opposed to minimal guarantees for States and funding that some of us believe could be better spent in areas that can use it more and more effectively, like New York City. By way of example, if we were to talk about enhancing our national security, and some Member suggested putting an aircraft carrier in the Great Salt Lake, somebody would probably think that is a little ludicrous, and we would say let us put the money where it is needed most. While we are here trying to advocate more funding, bluntly for places like New York City, because that is where the funding is needed the most, Exhibit A for that clearly was September 11, and the Congress and the President and all united to help New York recover, but it still represents the terrorists' number one threat. The Federal intelligence community has confirmed this fact. I think the President's budget also recognizes the need to prioritize funding in these areas by calling for $1.4 billion in the urban security initiative, $450 million more than the House bill.”