Political Quotes

“This amendment is offered by me, along with my colleagues Mr. Langevin of Rhode Island, Ms. Matsui of California, Ms. Berkley of Nevada, and Mr. Ellison of Minnesota. I rise to offer this amendment that restores funding for State and local grants, which includes funding for the Urban Areas Security Initiative, which is referred to as UASI. This bill makes dangerous cuts to the Urban Areas Security Initiative, the UASI program, which is a program critical to the security of cities that have been deemed at high risk of terrorist attack. One of those cities is Providence, Rhode Island, in my congressional district, along with more than 50 other urban areas in our country. Just last year, the Providence area was one of 64 cities with either critical assets or geography that was identified by Homeland Security experts as being most at risk of being targeted by terrorists. As a result, the city of Providence and other communities across this country have received critical Federal funding under UASI to support efforts to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks and other emergencies. Providence also became the first city in America to have an accredited Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. However, the cuts that are proposed in this legislation will cripple the ability of cities to effectively ensure proper safety should an attack occur.…”