Police and firefighters are our security

Ironically, as we face an uncertain fiscal
future today, the House Majority seeks to draw the line of division on how we
protect the American people. In its first act of fiscal budgeting, the House
Republican leadership, through its continuing resolution (CR) for FY2011, has
decided that our local police and firefighters are somehow not a national
security or homeland security priority.

As a co-chairman of
the Law Enforcement Caucus and an original member of the Homeland Security
Committee, I have always believed that police and firefighters — our nation’s first
responders — constitute both the first and last line of defense for the
American people here at home. That’s why I was so disappointed when I learned
that the CR proposed by the Republican leadership treated these public safety
officers as being ‘non-security’ discretionary spending, and subjected them to
drastic cuts. The CR contains billions of dollars in cuts to many essential
domestic programs, but it actually increases defense spending over the next
year under the justification of being ‘national security’ spending. My answer
to this inequity is clear: our brave local police and firefighters, who protect
our streets day and night, are the very essence of our national security. The
Republican leadership seems to miss the point that real homeland security
begins on our streets.

{mosads}The CR we will vote
on today proposes to zero-out federal funding for Community Oriented Policing
Services (COPS) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response
(SAFER) grant programs. These programs directly support public-safety jobs by
helping our local communities hire, rehire or retain police and firefighters.
The CR would also drastically cut funds for the Assistance to Firefighters
Grant (AFG) program, which I was proud to author more than 10 years ago to provide
assistance to local fire departments to purchase life-saving equipment and
training. Combined, the Republican leadership proposes to cut these public-safety
programs by more than $1.1 billion at a time when local budgets are being
squeezed and communities are being forced to layoff their police and
firefighters.

In addition to
passing with broad bipartisan support, these programs were all authorized under
the last Republican-controlled Congress. The steady increase in funding over
the years is a reflection of their necessity and success. The AFG program has
provided nearly $5.6 billion in funding to local fire departments since its
authorization in FY2001. The first independent evaluation of the AFG program
released by the U.S. Fire Administration concluded that the program was
“highly effective in improving the readiness and capabilities of
firefighters across the nation.” Likewise, the COPS program has provided
$12.4 billion in funding to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to
hire 117,000 officers in its lifetime. The Government Accountability Office
reported that between 1993 and 2000, COPS obligations contributed to a 1.3
percent decrease in the overall crime rate and a 2.5 percent decrease in the
violent crime rate. A responsive police department is not a luxury — less cops
on the beat equals more crime on our streets, it’s as simple as that.

As a member of the
House Budget Committee, I am working hard toward the goal of getting our
deficit under control, but it should not come at the cost of national security. With this imperative in mind, I collaborated with my colleagues to introduce amendments that would restore the funding for our first responders. I am proud to report that both amendments passed with broad bipartisan support despite the objections of the Republican leadership.

Regardless of our differences seen over the partisan divide, I always thought one thing we did agree upon was that protecting the American people must be the No. 1 priority of our government. The CR offered by Republican leadership did not meet that test. I will continue to work with my colleagues to protect these public safety funds so that we can take up the call of President Lincoln to unite our House for a safer and more prosperous future.

Pascrell is a member of the House Ways and
Means and Budget committees.