Tierney Spearheads Effort for First Responder Funding in the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget: Over 50 Colleagues Co-sign Bipartisan Letter to President Bush
Tierney Spearheads Effort for First Responder Funding in the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget: Over 50 Colleagues Co-sign Bipartisan Letter to President Bush
"We must honor our local first responders with the resources they need to keep our communities safe"
Congressman John F. Tierney (D-Salem) was joined by over 50 of his House of Representatives colleagues, who collectively represent hundreds of police and fire departments located throughout the country, in sending a bipartisan letter to President Bush calling for a significant increase in his FY06 Budget for the hiring of first responders.
"Our federal budget is a statement of our national values," said Tierney. "If we value those who combat crime, fight fires, and unfailingly respond to terror threats and other emergencies, then we must honor our local first responders with the resources they need to keep our communities safe."
"I am pleased that over 50 of my House colleagues joined me in this effort urging President Bush to heed the call of those police officers, fire fighters, and other front-line defenders of the homeland and include in his Fiscal Year 2006 budget increased resources for first responder personnel needs," Tierney concluded.
Below is a copy of the bipartisan letter:
January 10, 2005
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Based on the clear and continued need throughout the districts we represent, we respectfully request that you provide a significant increase in funding for our police officers and fire fighters in your Fiscal Year 2006 budget.
State and local first responders continue to express concern about being short-staffed. With the COPS program de-emphasized and, according to the National Fire Protection Association, at least two-thirds of the nation's fire departments understaffed, it is clear that force levels are down substantially and local communities have been suffering the consequences. Furthermore, the impact of Reserve and National Guard call-ups in Afghanistan and Iraq on local fire and police department staffs, as well as the homeland security demands on their services, are national concerns that have greatly effected local communities. At a time of elevated risk, it is unacceptable for our cities and towns to be put in a position where they may be forced to reduce the number of police on the streets, close fire stations, and dispatch emergency response vehicles with too few personnel.
Unfortunately, if your Fiscal Year 2006 budget does not improve upon what was proposed last year, this is the reality they can expect to confront.
In FY2005, your administration requested no funding for first responder hiring, including COPS Hiring, within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) at the Department of Justice. Likewise, your administration requested no funding for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Firefighters (SAFER) Grants, a program that assists fire departments in hiring personnel, within the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) at the Department of Homeland Security. We cannot continue this downward trend. Minimizing our shared vulnerabilities and providing for the safety of our citizens require renewal of federal assistance to local communities for fire and police personnel needs.
As you prepare your Fiscal Year 2006 budget, we recommend significant funding for first responder hiring programs in OJP and ODP.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you in a bipartisan manner to ensure that our homeland is protected and its security is appropriately prioritized.
Sincerely,
Representatives Tierney (MA), Raul Grijalva (AZ), Joe Baca (CA), Sam Farr (CA), Barbara Lee (CA), Grace Napolitano (CA), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT), John B. Larson (CT), Christopher Shays (CT), Rob Simmons (CT), Jim Davis (FL), Robert Wexler (FL), John Lewis (GA), Jim Marshall (GA), Ed Case (HI), Luis Gutierrez (IL), Dennis Moore (KS), Ben Chandler (KY), Michael E. Capuano (MA), William Delahunt (MA), Barney Frank (MA), Stephen F. Lynch (MA), Ed Markey (MA), James McGovern (MA), Marty Meehan (MA), Richard E. Neal (MA), John Olver (MA), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Michael Michaud (ME), Dale Kildee (MI), Sander Levin (MI), Betty McCollum (MN), James L. Oberstar (MN), Mike McIntyre (NC), Rush Holt (NJ), Bob Menendez (NJ), Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ), Steven Rothman (NJ), Joseph Crowley (NY), Brian Higgins (NY), Carolyn Maloney (NY), Michael R. McNulty (NY), Jerrold Nadler (NY), Anthony D. Weiner (NY), Earl Blumenauer (OR), Peter DeFazio (OR), Tim Holden (PA), Patrick Kennedy (RI), Jim Langevin (RI), Stephanie Herseth (SD), Gene Green (TX), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Jim Matheson (UT), Jim Moran (VA), Bernie Sanders (VT), Jay Inslee (WA), Jim McDermott (WA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Ron Kind (WI)
http://www.house.gov/tierney/press/firstresponder11205.shtml