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Pelosi: 'Americans Deserve More Than Scare Tactics From President Bush'
Thursday, February 9, 2006
Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616
Washington D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in response to President Bush's speech on the war on terror at the National Guard memorial building:
“President Bush's politics of fear do nothing to keep Americans as safe as we should be. Americans deserve more than scare tactics from President Bush; they deserve a budget that makes the critical investments in homeland security. But President Bush's budget:
- Shortchanges key programs that provide local communities with the resources they need to keep Americans safe and protect our borders, ports, mass transit, and critical infrastructure;
- Cuts grants for our first responders, cutting overall funding for key First Responder Grant programs by 35 percent below two years ago;
- Cuts the Emergency Management Performance Grants initiative that communities use to prepare for disasters, even after the federal government's failed response to Hurricane Katrina; and,
- At a time when our brave men and women in uniform are at war, the Bush budget raises veterans' health care costs.
“The independent bipartisan 9/11 Commission's final report card indicted the continued failure by the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress to meet the security needs of our nation and make Americans safer. President Bush missed a critical opportunity today to explain why, more than four years after the 9/11 attacks, the American people are not as safe as we should be.
“Democrats have a better idea - we have proposed a plan to address existing security weaknesses and establish a comprehensive strategy for homeland security. We can begin by immediately implementing of all the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.”
