Spencer Cox: “the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) have done an extraordinary job in…”

“the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) have done an extraordinary job in bringing to the floor a bill that has as its object the most important function of the Federal Government, protecting these United States from attack. Nothing that we do is more important. The $29 billion in this legislation for the coming year is nearly 4 percent more than the President requested. It is $250 for every single taxpayer in America. It is an extraordinary amount of money to meet the new challenges of the post-September 11 world. The $4.4 billion in this bill for first responders is nearly $1 billion more than the President requested. We have in fact in this Congress increased funding for first responders by more than 1,000 percent since September 11. The Select Committee on Homeland Security... will also be bringing to this floor legislation to unclog the pipeline and better distribute these monies on a threat basis, the way we have always done it for national security.”