Press Conference With Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Senator Charles E. Schumer; Senator Bernard Sanders

Statement

Press Conference With Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Senator Charles E. Schumer; Senator Bernard Sanders

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BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

SEN. SCHUMER: Well, thank you, and first, I want to thank Senator Reid for his persistent, quiet but forceful leadership in making sure our country takes care of homeland security. And I want to thank my colleague, Senator Stabenow, Senator Lautenberg. Each of us has taken a lead on different aspects of these bills because we are all so concerned with homeland security. And of course, Harold Schaitberger, who's been a great leader, fighting for the men and women who are under his direct supervision, but also making sure that America's secure.

Now, you know, if the president were ever to receive a wakeup call, he's received it in the last two weeks.

The president received the first wake-up call when we heard that al Qaeda was more potent than before 9/11. And just this morning, the president received a second wake-up call when we learned that terrorists were trying to sneak things through our airports to see what would get by the TSA inspectors. And yet despite the wake-up call about al Qaeda, despite the wake-up call of terrorists or would- be terrorists trying to smuggle things through our airports, the president has threatened to veto the homeland security bill.

It's to the point of absurdity already in this country. It's to the point where ideology just takes over. How can we, with the wink of an eye, spend an extra $10 billion in Iraq fighting a civil war which has little to do with protecting us and not put the money for port security, rail security, interoperability so our firefighters and police officers can talk to one another? It's to the point of absurdity already.

Everyone knows that you don't win a ball game with just an offense, you need defense. And yet this administration has constantly cut defense. They're almost schizophrenic. Waste all the money you can -- sorry. They're schizophrenic in that they waste all the money without caring in Iraq, to go to contractors and armored vehicles that don't work, and then at the same time pinch every single penny and not allow us to protect our ports and our rails and our harbors and our cyber-networks.

But we are here today to say that despite the White House's intransigence, we are moving forward on two bills. The 9/11 commission recommendations, long overdue. These should have been passed within the first month of Congress, but unfortunately again the president, our Republican colleagues, eager for us not to have any accomplishments even if it jeopardizes our security, try to block it. And now the homeland security appropriation bill, a careful, thoughtful bill that puts the increases where we need it but doesn't waste any money.

I would urge -- I think we all would urge the president, the Republican leadership in the House and Senate, to join us in supporting this legislation. If there's one place where there shouldn't be politics, it's in our war on terror. And we must fight that war here at home as well as abroad. That's the message we're sending today. These are practical ways that we as a country can make ourself much secure from the increased al Qaeda threat abroad and terrorist threat here at home. And I hope we will have bipartisan support on these measures.

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