Bipartisan Senators Urge Committee
To Make Up Bush Budget Shortfall
WASHINGTON D.C. (March 1, 2004) – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today joined a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the Senate Budget Committee, urging them to sustain the current 2004 levels of funding for state homeland security grants in the 2005 budget. Last year, first responders around the country received $1.7 billion in grants from the Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, the President decided to cut the funds allocated for these first responder grants in his 2005 budget to $700 million, a 59 percent cut.
"Our first responders are on the front lines everyday, and we continue to ask more and more of them as they protect our communities," Feingold said. "They continue to support us and we should do everything we can to support them. These grants go a long way toward helping our first responders prepare for possible future incidents. The President was wrong to cut this program and as a member of the Budget Committee I will do all that I can to help our local communities retain these important funds."
Wisconsin received over $31.4 million as part of the $1.7 billion total state homeland security grants announced late last year. This money is helping Wisconsin state and local officials pay for planning, training, equipment and other costs associated with enhancing their capabilities to prevent and respond to terrorism.
"Every state and local government, regardless of its size, faces increased costs in responding to the heightened level of security," the letter read. "Each and every state must train its first responders....Reducing the level of funding for the State Homeland Security Grant program would hurt the ability of our first responders to prevent and respond to a terrorist attack....While many large cities receive supplemental homeland security funding...most states and communities receive funding only through the State Homeland Security Program."
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