Ellison Fights GOP Plan to Cut Vital Funding for Minnesota First Responders

Press Release

The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to reverse a measure that would have cut important funding for first responders in all but 10 U.S. Cities. Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) cosponsored a successful amendment to protect funds for Minneapolis in the FY 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations bill (HR 2017).

Rep. Ellison fought for the amendment because it would have shut out mid-sized cities like Minneapolis from vital Homeland Security assistance under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). Minneapolis uses these funds to train and equip first responders, support a state-of-the-art emergency dispatch system, and protect the city's water supply. According to the City of Minneapolis, UASI Grant program funding has been essential to the ability of the City to manage complex incidents such as the 35W Bridge collapse, the 2008 RNC and the 2009 Downtown/South Minneapolis Tornado and the recent 2011 Tornado in North Minneapolis.

"The City of Minneapolis has effectively used UASI funds for the intended purpose: to keep residents safe and secure and prepare for the unthinkable, so I'm pleased that this critical assistance will continue," Ellison said. "Despite this improvement, my constituents are wary of the greater Republican plan that eliminates -- not creates -- public safety jobs and replaces Medicare with a flimsy private voucher system. You don't keep people safe by laying-off fire fighters."

The remaining portions of the overall bill cuts equipment for fire fighters by 51 percent, grants for new fire fighters by 63 percent, and funding for the Transportation Security Administration by 10 percent.

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