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Washington, D.C. --- Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) issued the following statement today about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) announcement of $765 million in direct funding for high-threat urban areas as part of the fiscal year 2006 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI):
“Since the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, I have called for the department to use a risk-based formula for allocating funds to first responders and the communities they serve. New Jersey has used this type of system since 2003. I am pleased that Secretary Chertoff has now directed the department to move to a risk-based funding model, which should help our state and local hometown security posture.”
“New Jersey is home to what terrorism experts call the ‘most dangerous two miles’ in America—the chemical plants, highways, and railroads that lie between Newark Liberty International Airport and the Port of Elizabeth. These are other critical transportation nodes—such as the Trenton train station—clearly merit a higher level of security investments than more remote and less vulnerable areas of our nation. While this change in the homeland security funding formula is a step in the right direction, more remains to be done to protect New Jersey . When Congress resumes later this month, I will be working to increase overall funding to the Department of Homeland Security, and upgrade security for critical transportation nodes like Trenton.”
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