Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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* Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition of H.R. 2017, the FY 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring state and local officials have the resources they need in order for them to efficiently and effectively respond to national and local emergencies. This bill breaks faith with first responders, who are essential to our national security, by significantly underfunding them.

* In particular, this bill proposes to cut firefighter assistance grants by more than fifty percent. The Assistance to Firefighter Grant program (FIRE) focuses on equipping firefighters with the necessary resources they need to respond to any national or local emergency in a post 9/11 environment. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant program is designed to allow fire departments to increase their training and hiring of more firefighters. By cutting FIRE grants by 51 percent, from $405 million in FY 2011 to $200 million in FY 2012 and SAFER grants by 63 percent, from $405 million in FY 2011 to $150 million in FY 2012, we ultimately risk jeopardizing the safety of our communities. In addition, this bill takes away direct funding for nine key state and local security grants (including State Homeland Security Grants, Urban Area Security Initiative, Transit Security Grants, and Port Security Grants), combines them into a separate block grant, and slashes the funding of the block grant by 55 percent--from $2.2 billion in FY 2011 to $1 billion in FY 2012. By requiring all of these critical programs to compete against one another for essentially half the funding they each received the previous year, this bill will force many of these programs to be underfunded or zeroed out entirely.

* This bill also significantly cuts Homeland Security Research and Development projects by 42 percent--from $688 million in FY 2011 to $398 million in FY 2012. By implementing these cuts, this bill would force us to eliminate more than 144 research projects in areas such as biological and explosives detection, advanced cyber security, and interoperability. In a time when our nation remains highly vulnerable to terrorism, we cannot afford to lose these essential counterterrorism research projects.

* In response to our troubling debt, many cuts were already made to H.R. 1473, the FY 2011 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 102-10) For example, State Homeland Security Grants were cut from $950 million in FY 2010 to $725 million in FY 2011; the Urban Area Security Initiative was cut from $887 million in FY 2010 to $725 million in FY 2011; Transit Security grants were cut from $300 million in FY 2010 to $250 million in FY 2011; Port Security Grants were cut from $300 million in FY 2010 to $250 million in FY 2011; and SAFER grants were cut from $420 million in FY 2010 to $405 million in FY 2011. By continuing to make substantial cuts, this bill will undoubtedly hinder the capabilities of our nation's first responders.

* According to The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) these cuts would have disastrous effects on the safety of our communities. They have stated that ``[a]t a time when state and local public safety budgets are shrinking, it is unconscionable to implement cuts of this magnitude. Make no mistake, if this proposal is enacted, it would devastate local fire department budgets and threaten public safety nationwide.'' In addition to the cutting of research programs, this bill also makes a foolish mistake of preserving a cap on the total number of TSA screeners at 46,000--which will prevent the additional hiring of personnel needed to staff new security technology.

* There will be a number of other troubling consequences if this bill is to pass:

* Transit agencies would not have funding to hire additional law enforcement officers, acquire bomb sniffing dogs, or install explosive screening devices at a time when open source media reports indicate that Al Qaeda may be attempting a major attack on the U.S. rail system.

* States and localities would receive greatly reduced funding (or be denied funding entirely) to harden tunnels and bridges or install surveillance systems at high-risk areas.

* Ports would not have funds for vessels to protect harbor waterways from a terrorist threat or for maritime training of law enforcement personnel at the ports.

* According to the National Association of Counties, a reduction in grant programs and the combining of funding would result in communities of all sizes not being able to enhance their level of preparedness to deal with all hazards, including potential nuclear, chemical, and biological attacks.

* As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I refuse to stand by this bill. We as members of Congress have a responsibility to protect our communities from any possible danger. For this reason, there is no higher priority than to adequately fund our homeland security, particularly our first responders such as firefighters. It makes no sense to weaken our Homeland Security program by cutting their resources in a time when terrorist threats continue to put our nation at risk. We as members of Congress must unite and assist our brave first responders in their efforts to help contain any threats by providing them with all necessary resources, rather than turn our backs and leave them without sufficient funding. This bill not only undermines our nation's security, it also undermines our allegiance to the American people who look up to us in this particular time to protect them from any possible danger, whether it is an act of terrorism or a natural disaster. For this reason, I oppose H.R. 2017, the FY 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.

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