Political Quotes

“I am thankful to be able to come to the floor today, along with many of my colleagues, to announce the Senate passage of the Frist-Kennedy Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2001. Over the past several weeks, we have been working in a bipartisan manner to address this critical issue, and I am grateful for the work of Senators Gregg, Kennedy, and others. Everyone has worked very hard to get us to this point, and I will continue to work with them in conference to ensure final passage of this crucial legislation. I am also thankful for the work of my colleagues to ensure that there is an appropriate level of funding for bioterrorism preparedness and response activities that will be available immediately. I commend Senators Stevens, Byrd, Specter, Inouye, and Roberts and others for their strong support in securing the necessary funding. With the passage of the latest appropriations bills, we have secured well over $2.5 billion for bioterrorism activities in addition to those provided for agroterrorism. I am also pleased with the level of funding for State and local preparedness and response activities--at least $1 billion--which is one of my top priorities. However, our efforts cannot end when the funding is secured. We must provide greater guidance and authorities through an authorization bill, which is why final passage of a bioterrorism authorization bill is equally important.”