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Edison, NJ --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today joined Middlesex County first responders and state, county and local lawmakers at Edison Fire House # 2 to denounce proposed federal budget cuts that could hamper the county's ability to respond to a major emergency.
Last week President Bush unveiled his Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 budget that dramatically cuts federal funding for several first responder grant programs. The budget completely eliminates funding for the COPS Interoperability grant program, making it more difficult for local municipalities to upgrade their communications system so they can better communicate with other agencies. The program was funded at $10 million in FY 2006 and $99 million in FY 2005.
Pallone said both 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina showed just how important it is for local, state and federal agencies to have the ability to communicate with each other through interoperable equipment.
"The 9/11 Commission called interoperable communication one of the most important priorities in a post-9/11 world, but the president's budget cuts all funding to help state and local agencies modernize their equipment," Pallone said. "Following the unacceptable communication failures during Hurricane Katrina, I would think the president would want to properly fund interoperability grants so those failures are not repeated."
The New Jersey congressman also highlighted several other cuts that will affect law enforcement officers and firefighters. The president's budget:
- Cuts the Assistance to Firefighters Grant from $545 million in FY 2006 to $293 million in FY 2007. This year, the federal government has received over $3 billion in requests from local fire departments for equipment, apparatus and programs in public education, health and safety and training. Last year, New Jersey received $14.6 million from this grant program. In 2004, the Edison Division of Fire received $196,000 in federal grants for operations and firefighter safety programs.
- Eliminates the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, which provides grants to local fire departments to hire career firefighters and recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. Last year, New Jersey received $6 million of the $110 million granted through the program nationally.
- Cuts the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program from $478 million in FY 2006 to $102 million in FY 2007. The program, created by President Clinton, allows local governments to hire new police officers and obtain vital equipment needed to protect officers and the community at large.
- Eliminates the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities grants, which allows local schools to establish and enhance a variety of school safety equipment and programs to improve school safety. Last year, New Jersey received $2.7 million through this program.
"The Bush administration likes to talk about homeland security, but continues to do very little in regard to hometown security," Pallone said. "Our communities need to ensure that our children are safe, our infrastructure is protected and that they can effectively react to unforeseen disasters. This budget cuts the legs out from under local law enforcement and firefighters and puts our communities at risk."
After completely reviewing the president's budget, Congress will vote on a FY 2007 budget this spring. The fiscal year begins on October 1, 2006. |
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