Jack Reed: “There are 6,000 transit systems throughout the United States in every State in the Union. All of them need additional…”

“There are 6,000 transit systems throughout the United States in every State in the Union. All of them need additional resources to improve their security. We know they are targets. Worldwide, there already have been 195 attacks against transit systems from buses in Israel to a sarin gas attack against the subway system of Tokyo which killed 11 and injured over 5,000 individuals. To fully protect all of these systems, the GAO has estimated we would need billions of dollars. The Reed-Sarbanes-Clinton amendment is a modest first step to authorize the appropriation of $100 million for grants to transit systems for equipment, training, and other security needs. The need is clear. The threat is obvious. I urge support for this amendment and retain the remainder of my time.”