WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) stood with fellow Democratic colleagues calling on the President and Republican leadership to use the failing grade they received from the 9-11 Commission report card as a sign that adequate funding and higher priority needs to be given to first responder communications to sufficiently secure America’s homeland.

“The 9-11 Commission report updating America on where we’ve come since September 11^th says that we are now less safe. It would be irresponsible for the President or Republican leadership to offer any excuses to justify this because there are none,” Stupak said. “We have the technology. The programs are ready to go. The President and Republican leadership continue to severely underfund interoperability and defeat measures to move America forward. We can’t afford to play political games when people’s lives are on the line.”

Seeing the frightening parallels between September 11^th and Hurricane Katrina, Stupak recognized the failure of Congress and the Administration to develop first responder communications since September 11^th. In response, Stupak offered an amendment during the Energy and Commerce Committee mark-up of the DTV Transition bill that would establish a public safety trust fund; however, the amendment was defeated on a tie vote.

“My amendment was simple: it would have taken $5.8 billion of the auction proceeds of spectrum and put it into a Public Safety Interoperability Trust Fund to give our first responders the tools they need to save lives and safely do their jobs,” Stupak said. “Many have said that we can’t afford $5.8 billion; I say that we can’t afford to wait any longer. The Administration says it will take almost 20 years to become interoperable.  We can’t afford to wait 20 years when lives are at stake.  Our first responders need communications equipment today.”

Last Congress and again this Congress Stupak also introduced the Public Safety Interoperability Implementation Act, HR 1323, which will set up a dedicated grant program for interoperable communications and fund the program first through appropriations and then through future spectrum auction proceeds.

“The 700 Mhtz spectrum to be sold through the DTV transition is estimated to be worth $23 billion,” Stupak said. “Still the Republicans defeated my amendment to earmark $5.8 billion for interoperability. The G.O.P. priorities are wrong. The 9-11 Commission agrees with me; our first priority should be to take care of first responders.”

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