Jun 7, 2006- Turning His Back on Ohio
 HON. MARCY KAPTUR
 OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2006
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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the people of Ohio are wondering why the Bushadministration has turned its back on them. After all, Ohiowas the linchpin State in the Bush victory in 2004.
Now, what else can Ohioans think? The Bush administration has just cut thefunding for homeland security in Ohioand its major cities by one-third. Over $8.5 million was cut. Last year, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, thefour largest Ohiocities received $26.1 million in anti ter ror ism funding; this year $17.6million, an $8.5 million reduction. Why?
Surely President Bush does not think the terrorist threat has diminished. Ifhe does, perhaps he should read the newspapers. Dateline Toronto,the Canadian Government just broke up an alleged terrorist ring in Ontario Province. That is on the north side ofLake Erie, and Ohio shares a border acrossthat lake with Canada.And that ring apparently possessed enough material, 3 tons of it, to cause anexplosion three times larger than that which destroyed the Murrah FederalBuilding in Oklahoma City in 1995.
If that is not enough to think about, Mogadishu, Somalia, has just falleninto the hands of Muslim militia groups in what the New York Times calls ``asetback for U.S. policy.'' Now that failed state might become anotherstronghold for al Qaeda. That is not good news.
How about Baghdad?The violence in Iraqcontinues to escalate. And in Kabul thesituation in Afghanistancontinues to deteriorate. And here in Washingtonthe Bush administration responds by making deeper cuts to homeland securityfunding to the four largest cities in Ohio.
What did Ohiodo that would cause President Bush to turn his back on her? Funding in Columbus, the largestcity in the State, will fall from $7.6 million last year to $4.3 million thisyear. Mayor Coleman said that Columbusis the 15th largest city in the country, ``and time and again we are being toldto do it yourself. Best of luck.''
My own hometown of Toledois being cut from $5.3 million to $3.85 million this year. I think thePresident spent almost that much just on ads during the last campaign in ourregion. Yet recently in our city, the U.S. Justice Department made nationalnews with the arrests of three men whom it suspects of being potential terrorists.Indeed, Ontario's terrorists drove from Columbus through Toledo, upto Detroit, across the bridge to Windsor to their Ontariohideouts.
Toledo is a major port on the Great Lakes,literally the crossroads of America.
Our position as a premier international transportation center, with suchgreat proximity to our Nation's population center, is key to our economicvitality. We have to make sure that our air, water, rail, port and surfacetransportation infrastructure is safe and secure, and we need the FederalGovernment's help to do exactly that.
At this very moment, this crucial moment in our Nation's history, thisPresident is turning his back on Ohio, theState that delivered for him, turning his back on Toledoand Columbus and Cincinnatiand Cleveland.He is turning his back on virtually every city across our country, cuttinghomeland security funds by over one-third when our communications systemscannot even work interoperably.
No, Mr. President, mission not accomplished. There's still a lot to do.National security is the responsibility of the Federal Government. Nationalsecurity is the job of the Federal Government. Let the record show, Mr.Speaker, that the Bush administration has turned its back on the safety ofOhioans and across this country on the safety of Americans, includingespecially on our Nation's fourth seacoast.
I hope the Bush administration listens to this message this evening. We needhelp with homeland security in Ohio,in our major cities and across this Nation.