Federal Support for State and Local First Responders

FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR STATE AND LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, just as we stand behind our troops in Iraq, so must we also unite here at home behind our first responders as they protect our communities from the threat of a terrorist attack.

As the chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, I have made helping first responders one of my top priorities. Now that we have confirmed Secretary Tom Ridge and helped to get the new Department of Homeland Security up and running, it is time to turn to strengthening the new Department's partnership with State and local governments and the first responders who protect our homeland.

On March 1, our home security structure began to come into place as Secretary Ridge incorporated nearly two dozen agencies into the new Department of Homeland Security. While this new framework will provide much needed focus to tackling the threat of a terrorist attack, we must also provide the resources to our communities and their police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel who stand ready to respond to a crisis.

Just as they stand by to protect our citizens, our first responders deserve a government that stands by them.

In a recent conversation with Secretary Ridge, we discussed the fact that if disaster does strike, if there is another terrorist attack, it is our first responders, not some official from Washington, who would be on the front lines. I plan on holding a series of hearings and introducing legislation streamlining and strengthening Federal support for State and local homeland security efforts.

We must continue to combat terrorism at every stage. The war on terrorism has already yielded some very significant victories. The fall of the Taliban has denied al-Qaida its most important sanctuary. The capture of several high-ranking al-Qaida operatives has also pushed us forward in our quest to end terrorist attacks. Working with foreign governments, we have disrupted much of the al-Qaida network.

But we know that terrorist cells continue to operate around the world, and the threat in the United States remains high. The threat remains very real as terrorists still plot to attack our Nation.

Just as we must continue to attack the threats at their sources, we must also strengthen our ability to detect, prevent, deter, and respond to a terrorist attack.

Recently, I met with some 40 officials from communities around the State of Maine. I have also spoken with police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical staff personnel. They have all expressed concerns about navigating the maze of Federal homeland security funding.

I met recently with Maine's Adjutant General, GEN Joe Tinkham, who talked to me about the tangled web of some 40 Federal Agencies and Departments that have a role in combating terrorism and in funding local homeland security efforts. He told me that, while underfunded, in some ways the previous system worked better for the State of Maine because there was much more flexibility. Now he finds that certain money is set aside that can only be used for equipment purchases, when what is needed is joint training to learn to use that equipment effectively in some communities.

The new Department of Homeland Security will address many of these concerns by helping to streamline and coordinate programs formerly administered by a number of different agencies. But we must follow up on these efforts to help the new Department enhance its efforts to fund first responders.

I have received a lot of advice on this issue from Maine's firefighters, police officers, and State and local officials. They have suggested a new partnership with the Department of Homeland Security that gives them the flexibility they need to meet whatever is the need for homeland security at the local level.

Last year, we put a downpayment on the needs of our communities. The increased funding of programs, such as the FIRE Act, and those within the Office of Domestic Preparedness, are important steps forward in providing the necessary resources.

But we must build on this success and provide a stronger framework. First responders' needs are as diverse as the States and the communities they protect. Our grant programs and other assistance must be flexible enough to reflect this diversity. But, unfortunately, that is not the case under the current approach.

Maine's first responders and local governments have told me their needs range from communications equipment to personnel to more effective training. Mainers, and others beyond the beltway, do not just have needs; they also have tremendously creative and effective ideas that can be channeled into the new coordinated community-based homeland security strategy.

Over the coming weeks, I will be holding hearings in the Committee on Governmental Affairs to begin to build a consensus for legislation helping homeland security transition many of its important grant programs into their new directorates. I plan to call on States, communities, and, most importantly, our first responders who stand on the front lines to learn how we can better meet their needs.

Listening to the ideas and needs of our communities and first responders will be the most effective way of developing legislation to make sure our homeland security dollars go as far as possible. We want legislation that will help provide the right resources to the right people.

Our President and Secretary Ridge have shown tremendous leadership in focusing the new Department's efforts, not only in developing a national strategy but in focusing its efforts outside Washington.

Congress must shift its homeland security focus from Washington to our borders, our shorelines, and our communities. I look forward to continuing to work with communities across Maine and around the country so that we can build a better and stronger homeland security partnership in the months and years ahead.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.