[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 192 (Wednesday, December 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H8911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PRESERVING UASI CAPABILITY GAINS CAUCUS

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Homeland 
Security, I rise to express my concern about the direction of the Urban 
Area Security Initiative program.
  UASI was created to develop capabilities to prevent and to respond to 
attacks and catastrophes in our most vulnerable cities. The program has 
helped develop joint initiatives among local governments in my 
community of Buffalo-Niagara. We have an obligation to protect this 
investment and the capability gains developed across the country. Yet 
recent drastic cuts in the UASI funding have resulted in the 
elimination of 32 of the 64 urban areas from the program. That puts the 
preparedness and security capability gains we've achieved at risk.
  In order to raise awareness of this problem, this week I formed the 
Preserving UASI Capability Gains Caucus with Congressman Steve Stivers 
of Columbus, Ohio. I also introduced legislation to preserve the 
capability gains achieved by communities like Buffalo that were dropped 
from the UASI program.
  I urge my colleagues who represent UASI communities to join our 
caucus so that we can protect our capability gains and ensure our 
communities are properly secured.

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