Kirk Watson: “the budget shortchanges the security of cities and towns across America. The next terrorist we catch might be caught by…”

“the budget shortchanges the security of cities and towns across America. The next terrorist we catch might be caught by the FBI, but it is more likely that they will be found by local law enforcement, like the routine traffic stop in April of 2001, where a police officer pulled over none other than the 9-11 ring leader Mohammed Atta. It is not clear that the 9-11 attacks could have been prevented by a traffic stop, but what should be clear is that even if our government has information on would-be terrorists, local law enforcement is still out of the loop. The President and the Republican leaders in Congress both ignore this issue in their budgets. While we spend billions to tear down and rebuild Iraq, the Republican budget shortchanges the local police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who are America's first defense against terror. In my own district, the community of Culver City, California, is right next to the Los Angeles International Airport. They need our support with first responders.”