Issues: First Responders
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 brought home to all Americans the realization that we are vulnerable to attacks on our homeland and in our hometowns. Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson has worked to increase funding to meet the needs of America’s first responders: the fire fighters, police and other emergency response personnel who are so essential to the protection of our citizens.
Senator Nelson has focused on security issues affecting rural America, the protection of our food supply and other bioterrorism threats, security for agricultural chemicals that can be used to make explosives and methamphetamines, interoperability of communications equipment to enable first responders in rural areas to communicate in emergency situations, grants for additional police and equipment for rural fire fighters, and other critical issues of concern to those who are on the front lines protecting Nebraskans’ safety and health.
While Senator Nelson recognizes the need to protect America’s large cities, he believes that it is just as important to provide homeland security funding for our rural areas. He knows that we are only as strong as our weakest link and wants to ensure that no part of the country is short on resources to be adequately prepared. He believes not only in Homeland security, but also, Hometown security.
Homeland Security
Following the attacks of 9/11, Senator Nelson was in the forefront of efforts to create the new Department of Homeland Security. He led the fight to find a compromise that would balance the need to protect the rights of employees of the new department with the need for flexibility in personnel matters. He also supported the establishment of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, the “9/11 Commission.”
Senator Nelson has consistently supported full funding for homeland security and has worked to promote the University of Nebraska as a national leader in the field of bioterrorism research. Over the past several years, he has steered over $20 million in bioterrorism research funding to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Homeland Security Funding for States
Senator Nelson helped lead the effort to protect Nebraska’s first responder funding when the Administration made it clear they wanted to divert homeland security funds from rural states to higher population density areas. In addition to pressuring Administration and Congressional leaders to maintain the current funding stream – which greatly benefits Nebraska – Senator Nelson led efforts on the Senate floor to fight the funding shift. He also supported efforts to keep Omaha eligible for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program, which has provided over $13 million to Omaha since the program’s inception through fiscal year 2007.
In legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President in 2007 outlining the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 commission ( The Improving America's Security Act of 2007), Senator Nelson fought for funding formulas that were fair to all states – big and small. While recognizing that Homeland Security funding should be allocated on the basis of threat, risk, and effectiveness of the proposed use of the grant, Senator Nelson was successful in preserving Omaha’s eligibility for UASI grants, and in ensuring the formula used to distribute funding to states accounts for ALL Homeland Security funding when determining the minimum grants allocated to less-populous states. Calculating the grants in this way will help ensure a stable funding stream to protect the citizens of the State of Nebraska.
Nelson has supported additional funding for volunteer and professional fire departments and firefighters, immigration security measures, and baggage screening.
Updated: 1.31.08
