U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, And Iraq Accountability Act, 2007

Floor Speech

U.S. TROOP READINESS, VETERANS' HEALTH, AND IRAQ ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, 2007 -- (Senate - March 28, 2007)

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AMENDMENT NO. 648

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I wish to speak briefly about the security funding the State of Minnesota and the State of Colorado need to prepare for the Presidential and Republican National Conventions. The Republican Convention is going to be held in Minnesota in September of 2008. I know the Senator from Oklahoma disagrees with our efforts to get funding for this important convention, for its security, but today I stand tall to protect the security of Republicans across the country when they come to my State.

The need for funding is obvious and urgent. As my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are well aware, preparations for the convention have already begun. I imagine they would want security to be a high priority on the list of preparations. As a former law enforcement person, and someone who was a prosecutor, I know you have to plan ahead for these things. Delaying this funding until the normal appropriations process would prevent Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies from conducting the proper planning they need to do. This is an enormous effort that involves law enforcement from all over our State. We have to be reimbursed or taxpayers all over our State will have to foot the bill.

The Secretary of Homeland Security has already designated next year's event to be held in Minnesota a national special security event based on threat assessment. There is clear precedent for Congress providing convention cities with security funding. Four years ago, Congress gave $50 million each to New York and Boston, the two cities hosting Presidential nomination conventions, to help them defer their security costs. This included a total of $50 million designated as emergency spending.

The bill provides an equal amount of money this year to Minnesota and Colorado, and nothing more. The funding was approved by the Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support, including Chairman Byrd and Ranking Member Cochran. Senator Coleman also supports this funding.

I support this funding, and I join my Minnesota colleague and my friends from Colorado in insisting that the States we represent receive support equal to that support which Congress has provided in the past, and that the funding for security for the Republican Convention in Minnesota be protected in this bill.

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