[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other 
     departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes:

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, our country is in deep fiscal trouble, and 
cutting wasteful or low-priority spending is part of getting back to 
fiscal balance. But there is nothing low-priority about the 
firefighters who protect our communities, our families, and our homes. 
It is another example of Republicans' short-sighted and reckless 
approach to cutting spending that they are willing to take 2,400 
firefighters off of the streets by passing this spending bill. To 
prevent that blow to public safety, I support Rep. Pascrell's 
amendment, which would protect funding for the vital FIRE and SAFER 
grant programs.
  FIRE and SAFER help fire departments across America recruit, train, 
and retain skilled firefighters, and help departments equip them with 
the up-to-date tools they need to protect property and save lives. 
These grant programs have helped our community firefighters afford 
protective equipment that helps them enter burning buildings, backup 
power generators that keep their stations running during emergencies, 
and full staffing, so that fire departments are not sitting empty or 
underprepared when disasters strike. In an independent study, the U.S. 
Fire Administration found that grants like these are making fire 
departments across the country more prepared for emergencies, and 
better equipped to do their job.
  The Republican spending bill would not only cost us the jobs of 
thousands of public servants who risk their lives for our safety--it 
would put communities across the country at greater risk. I urge my 
colleagues to pass this amendment and restore these vital investments 
in public safety.

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