[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2011

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                               speech of

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    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:

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chair, I would like to talk 
briefly about the amendment offered by my friend from New Jersey, Mr. 
Pascrell.
  The Pascrell amendment would restore funding to the fire grant 
programs which was cut by the Republicans in the CR. I wholeheartedly 
support the notion of restoring this funding. However, I must oppose 
this amendment because it restores the fire grant funding by cutting an 
equal amount from the Department of Homeland Security's Science and 
Technology Directorate.
  The proposed $510 million cut to the Science & Technology Directorate 
is on top of an $85 million cut already proposed in the CR. If this 
amendment is adopted, the budget for the Science and Technology 
Directorate will fall to $410 million from $1.005 billion in FY 2010. 
This would be a 59 percent cut from FY 2010 levels. The magnitude of 
this cut would cripple the DHS Science and Technology Directorate. Some 
of the specific effects of this cut include:
  Elimination of all border security and maritime security research and 
development which includes cargo security research and development;
  Termination of all first responder research and development;
  Termination of all cyber security research and development;
  Termination of all non-aviation explosives research and development;
  Elimination of all human factors research and development including 
all biometric identification work;
  Elimination of all infrastructure and geophysical research and 
development including first responder monitoring and tracking work;
  Significant cuts to chemical and biological research and development;
  Significant cuts to radiological and nuclear research and 
development;
  Elimination of all university programs including the Minority Serving 
Institution program.
  While the Republican cuts to the fire grants program in the CR are 
devastating, I cannot support solving one problem by creating an 
equally devastating one. And make no mistake, these cuts to the S&T 
Directorate will cripple our nation's ability to respond to future 
threats. As terrorists evolve and adapt, we must do so as well, and the 
S&T Directorate is at the forefront of this effort.
  For these reasons, I must reluctantly oppose the Pascrell amendment, 
and urge a ``no'' vote on its adoption.

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