Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on GAO Investigation of the Federal Protective Service

Statement

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on GAO Investigation of the Federal Protective Service

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton issued the following statement on a new Government Accountability Office study showing the devastating impact of Bush Administration cuts to the Federal Protective Service. Senator Clinton has been a leading voice for the critical importance of the FPS and secured in law a measure blocking the Bush Administration's plan to downsize the agency. The FPS is responsible for securing nearly 9,000 non-military federal buildings, many of which are considered high-risk facilities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation New York Field Office in Lower Manhattan, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center on Long Island, and federal buildings in the National Capital Region, and protects 1.1 million federal employees across the nation.

"The Bush Administration's attempts to cut the only agency responsible for protecting federal facilities are shocking and disturbing but unfortunately not surprising. It is beyond the pale that by weakening and undermining the Federal Protective Service, the Bush Administration has put federal facilities at heightened risk. We should be making sure the FPS has the resources needed to do its job effectively not undercutting the safety and security of our federal workers and facilities. I was proud to stop the Bush Administration plan to downsize the FPS and I will work to make sure the FPS is staffed adequately to meet its critical mission."

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