U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY

WASHINGTON (Fri., Feb. 21) – For the nation’s first responders contending with terrorist threats, the budget bill signed late Thursday by President Bush falls $1 billion short of the funding levels unanimously approved last year by the Senate Appropriations Committee and farther still below the level pledged earlier by the President, according to an analysis released by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

Most of the funds in the President’s initial request of $3.5 billion, which the White House said was for first responders, would have been disbursed to programs unrelated to first-responder terrorism preparedness and prevention efforts, including to INS border security, FBI-related funds and other accounts.  The bill the President signed Thursday includes only $1.3 billion to go directly to state and local first responders. 

Like the Administration’s budget proposal, the omnibus appropriations bill signed Thursday also underfunds direct help to first responders.  Leahy said more funds should have been provided for the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) within the Justice Department and to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manage programs that send resources directly to state and local law enforcement, fire and emergency rescue service agencies.

In an earlier stage of the same legislation, the Senate Appropriations Committee last year passed its bills funding first responders at $2.2 billion: the ODP at $1.3 billion in the Commerce, Justice State and the Judiciary Appropriations Bill, and Firefighter Assistance Grants at $900 million in the VA-HUD Appropriations Bill.  The omnibus appropriations bill signed by the President includes $540 million for ODP and $750 million for firefighters, totaling $1.29 billion.

“Fighting terrorism is a top national priority, and it takes commitment and resources, both at home and abroad,” said Leahy, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and ranking Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee.  “We may end up spending hundreds of billions of dollars abroad in Iraq, but the Administration has only been willing to commit a tiny fraction of anti-terrorism funds to our first responders for security here at home.  Our state and local law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency workers need to be full partners in preventing, investigating and responding to terrorist acts.  They need much more federal-level cooperation and support to meet these new national responsibilities.”

Leahy is pushing for major new direct terrorism-related assistance to first responders.  Joined by Sens. Daschle (D-N.D.), Reid (D-Nev.) and Breaux (D-La.), Leahy earlier this month introduced The First Responders Partnership Grant Act (S. 315) to charter a new $4 billion Justice Department grant program to support first responders in their efforts to protect homeland security and prevent and respond to acts of terrorism.  Similar to the highly successful Justice Department Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and Leahy’s Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Programs, the First Responder Grants would be made directly to state and local governments for overtime, equipment, training and facility expenses to support first responders.  Under the bill's small-state minimum, Vermont public safety agencies would receive at least $30 million a year in First Responder Grants when fully funded.

Click here for fact sheet on first-responder funding