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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Joins House Democrats in Briefing with Chairmen of 9/11 Commission
Washington, DC – Breaking with the traditional August recess, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and House Democrats returned today for a briefing with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. House Democrats also received briefings from representatives of the Terrorism Threat Integration Center and the FBI on the reasons for the recent elevation of the terrorism threat level.
Following the release of the 9/11 Commission report, Democrats moved quickly to consider the Commission’s recommendations, successfully urging the reluctant Republican leadership to hold hearings, which began last week and will continue throughout August.
“Today’s briefing by the Commissioners gave us the opportunity to hear first-hand about the findings of the 9/11 Commission,” said Lee. “We must not only strengthen our intelligence capabilities – we must do more to protect all of our transportation systems, including providing full funding for port security, rail security, and our first responders. Instead of fully funding homeland security, the Bush Administration has needlessly spent billions of dollars on tax breaks for the wealthy, while misleading the nation into an unnecessary, costly, and ongoing war in Iraq that has inflated an already bloated defense budget.”
The President’s FY 05 budget cuts homeland security formula grants in California by more than $73 million. These grants provide police, firefighters and emergency management teams with the training and equipment they need to keep communities safe.
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Following the release of the 9/11 Commission report, Democrats moved quickly to consider the Commission’s recommendations, successfully urging the reluctant Republican leadership to hold hearings, which began last week and will continue throughout August.
“Today’s briefing by the Commissioners gave us the opportunity to hear first-hand about the findings of the 9/11 Commission,” said Lee. “We must not only strengthen our intelligence capabilities – we must do more to protect all of our transportation systems, including providing full funding for port security, rail security, and our first responders. Instead of fully funding homeland security, the Bush Administration has needlessly spent billions of dollars on tax breaks for the wealthy, while misleading the nation into an unnecessary, costly, and ongoing war in Iraq that has inflated an already bloated defense budget.”
The President’s FY 05 budget cuts homeland security formula grants in California by more than $73 million. These grants provide police, firefighters and emergency management teams with the training and equipment they need to keep communities safe.
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