House Panel Doubles SAFER Funding

May 18, 2007 -- A House Appropriations Subcommittee has approved legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security, doubling funding for the SAFER grant program. The spending bill, sponsored by Subcommittee Chairman David Price (D-NC), also provides increased funding for the FIRE Act grant program and funds a new interoperable communications grant program.

The bill provides $230 million for SAFER grants, doubling the $115 million allocated for 2007. Additionally, the bill provides $570 million for FIRE Act grants, an increase of $23 million over current funding levels.

“I thank and congratulate Chairman Price and the entire Subcommittee for their hard work on behalf of our nation’s first responders,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “This bill is a clear rejection of the president’s budget and I pledge to work with the chairman and our friends in the House to ensure that this bill is passed as soon as possible.”

Earlier this year, the president proposed slashing funds for first responder grants. His annual budget proposal slashed funding for the FIRE Act by 45 percent and eliminated the SAFER program altogether. The president has also threatened to veto any spending bill that exceeds his budgetary proposals.

The IAFF and its members have been working with Chairman Price, Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and other Appropriations Committee members to craft a strong funding bill. President Schaitberger testified before the Subcommittee in March, telling the members of the panel that SAFER grants “present the federal government with its best opportunity to assure a strong, emergency response component in every community in America.”