[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              POLICE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, this is Police Week, a week which offers 
all of us an opportunity to honor those who selflessly keep our 
community safe.
  ``To protect and serve,'' that is more than just a slogan on the side 
of police cars across the country. It is a promise, a promise that 
brave men and women in uniform keep every day as they uphold law and 
order in our cities and towns.
  But to be able to protect and serve us, our law enforcement needs the 
tools and resources that are vital to successfully doing their job. 
And, unfortunately, some of that essential lifesaving equipment that 
they need to protect us and to protect themselves has been stripped 
away.
  Last June, President Obama arbitrarily and unilaterally decided to 
limit the 1033 surplus equipment program, a Federal program that 
provides lifesaving Defense Department equipment to State and local law 
enforcement agencies.
  Because of this ill-conceived action, I am hearing from the sheriffs, 
police chiefs, and law enforcement officials throughout the 18 counties 
that I am fortunate to represent. I am hearing about how the safety of 
the brave men and women in blue and their departments are being 
compromised by the President's action.
  It is clear that the President's decision to unilaterally cut access 
to lifesaving equipment was a knee-jerk reaction that put politics in 
front of public safety, and that is something that we simply can't let 
happen.
  So in response, Mr. Speaker, I have introduced the Protecting Lives 
Using Surplus Equipment Act to stop this action dead in its tracks and 
to ensure that any changes to this program are the result of a data-
driven debate here in Congress, not through some arbitrary, unilateral 
action by the President.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in standing up 
against this administration's attack on law enforcement safety by 
supporting my bill and making sure that our police have the equipment 
they need for their own safety and for the safety of the American 
people. They deserve nothing less.

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