Congresswoman Barbara Lee Fights For COPS Funding
For Immediate Release
Contact
Ricci Graham, (510) 763-0370
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined her fellow Democratic colleagues on the House Committee on Appropriations in fighting against the Republican termination of COPS programs and other vital programs in the Fiscal Year 2012Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill. The COPS programs provide funding to hire police officers and support community policing efforts across the country. Several amendments were offered to fund the COPS program including two to get $20-$35 million dollars for the program and one to nearly fully fund all the COPS programs. Congresswoman Lee released the following statement:
“As state and local law enforcement work to keep communities safe on increasingly shrinking budgets, the Congress must work to provide communities with the assistance they need. The COPS program is active in almost every district across the country- in Democratic and Republican districts alike. The safety of our communities should not be jeopardized in order to protect tax cuts for millionaires and big oil companies.
“While it is irresponsible to terminate vital programs like COPS which result in even more people joining the ranks of the unemployed, I am committed to work with Chairman Wolf and Ranking Member Fattah to preserve the COPS program and ensure the safety of all our communities.”