Political Quotes

“I rise in honor of our brave men and women in uniform, the police officers, firefighters and other public service officers who protect our communities. As yesterday was National Peace Officers Memorial Day, there is no better time to call on the Department of Justice to award the benefits due to our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defending our Nation. For 30 years now we have made a strong statement about the value our Nation places on the contribution for those who serve our community through the Public Safety Officers Benefit plan. About 4 years ago, however, I learned the PSOB was routinely rejecting claims or requiring burdensome documentation from these officers and first responders who died from a heart attack or stroke while serving our communities. I felt that this was wrong, and so did most of my colleagues here in Congress. In a strong bipartisan effort, Congress unanimously passed and the President signed it and the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act became law. Since 2003, when the law was enacted, only two claims have been awarded out of the more than 240 received, while nearly 40 claims have been rejected. The rest languish in a bureaucratic mess. I urge the Department of Justice to act swiftly and fairly on the remaining claims and pay these claims to provide this much needed and much deserved benefit as we observe National Police Week.”