Weekly Update

Weekly Update

Stopping the Rise in Gang Violence

Gang-related violence and crime are on the rise throughout our state. During the past week, I met with local law enforcement and community leaders in Vancouver , Kelso, Everett , Spokane , and Seattle to hear firsthand about the problems our communities face from this threat. Local law enforcement is doing great work, but they need federal support. That means getting them additional tools and resources, and passing new anti-gang laws to put violent gang members behind bars. In January, I joined Senator Dianne Feinstein in introducing tough new bipartisan legislation to reduce gang-related crime and cut gang membership. Our legislation would establish new criminal gang offenses, strengthen existing punishments, assist areas prone to gang violence, and target at-risk youth for gang prevention initiatives. It would also provide more than $1 billion for anti-gang efforts.

At a time when communities nationwide need more resources to confront gang activity, we must also continue supporting existing law-enforcement programs with proven track records. However, the president's 2008 budget proposal undercuts federal initiatives that deliver vital recourses to local law enforcement. The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program faces $509 million in cuts?a 94 percent funding decrease?and the Byrne/Justice Assistant Grant and Meth Hot Spots programs receive no specific funding under the president's proposal. These initiatives are indispensable in our efforts to reduce crime and I will work to stop any attempt to pull resources out from under our first responders. We cannot afford to ignore gang-related crime or its impact on our kids, our families, our schools, or our communities.

Investigating the Link between Gangs and Meth

With help from programs like Meth Hot Spots, our state has succeeded in reducing the number of local meth labs, but now we're seeing more gang activity and more meth abuse. We need to look at the possibility that gangs may be involved in bringing meth across our borders and into our communities. That's why I've asked U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to investigate the possible links between gang activity, violent crime, and meth. Local law enforcement in some parts of our state are seeing a growing correlation between these problems. With a better understanding of the connection between meth and gangs, we can get out in front of the problem and help federal, state, and local law enforcement develop more effective strategies to combat both these issues.

Debating the War in Iraq

I'm extremely disappointed the Senate didn't engage in a real debate on the war in Iraq last week. We cannot give this president any more blank checks for Iraq and we cannot have an open-ended commitment to this war. We need to change course and that means taking a hard look at the funding issues surrounding the war. In the coming weeks and months, I will evaluate the different proposals on the table and balance their ability to hold the president's feet to the fire while also taking into account any possible impact on our troops. We don't need another escalation in this war. Instead, we need a political solution to the war and more diplomatic efforts to get there. It's time to have a debate about how to bring our men and women in uniform home.

Starting the Baseball New Season

This week when the Seattle Mariners play their first spring training games, I'll join fans across Washington state to root, root, root for the home team as they prepare for the regular season. Last year was a rough one for our Mariners, but there's nothing more exciting than the start of another great and promising season. We've always had some great hitters in our lineup and during the off-season, we added a few more. The same goes for our pitching staff, which now boasts a few more veterans in the lineup. The American League West is consistently tough, and I can't wait until April when the regular season gets going, the Mariners dig in for the long haul, and baseball begins again in Seattle .

http://cantwell.senate.gov/news/weekly_update.cfm