[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration of the bill (H.R. 2892) 
     making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security 
     for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 2892, the 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010.
  The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill makes 
fundamental investments that are vital to our nation's security. It 
tightens our nation's borders, allows for installation of the latest 
explosive detection systems at airports nationwide, protects our ports 
and critical infrastructure, and provides grants to meet the needs of 
our first responders. It also increases funding for the Urban Areas 
Security Initiative, which is very important to my home city of New 
York, by almost $50 million, matching the President's request, for a 
total allocation of $887 million.
  In the months following the September 11th attacks, I spearheaded the 
creation of the High Threat Urban Area Account Program, which later 
became the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). I undertook this 
effort because, at the time, there were no Federal domestic security 
grant programs that provided funding solely on the basis of threat and 
risk. While I recognize that the threat of terror lingers everywhere, 
there are, unfortunately, several cities and areas that are more 
vulnerable to attack. New York, my home city, is one of them.
  This is not a distinction we are proud of, but it is a reality we 
face. Al-Qaeda has already attacked my city twice. And, for me, it 
became all the more personal when my cousin, a New York City fireman, 
died during the September 11, 2001 attacks trying to help people out of 
Tower 2 at the World Trade Center.
  What happened on September 11th can never happen again, and that is 
what the UASI program is about. The grants go to cities and states 
under the greatest threat of attack. In New York City, the grants have 
been used to train and better equip first responders, and provide them 
with better communication systems to assure preparedness, in addition 
to improved monitoring of critical infrastructure.
  Late last month, four men were arrested in a plot to bomb two Bronx 
synagogues. According to authorities, they had planted bombs in cars 
outside the two synagogues, and were planning to shoot down military 
planes at an Air National Guard base in upstate New York. New York's 
Office of Homeland Security later provided Urban Area Security 
Initiative Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funds in order to 
resolve the vulnerabilities of the synagogues. Additionally, it was 
Federal homeland security dollars that assisted the New York Police 
Department in their excellent investigative work to stop this act of 
terror before it occurred.
  Madam Speaker, the threat of terrorism remains very real, making it 
essential for cities that face the greatest risk to have the tools and 
resources necessary to stop attacks before they occur. Cities, like New 
York, remain a major target for terrorists, and programs like UASI help 
us fight terrorism and ensures that our first responders have the 
equipment they need to protect the American people.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from North Carolina, Chairman of 
the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, for his leadership, 
hard work, and dedication to the urban area initiative and I urge 
adoption of the bill.

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