BUSH AD USING FIRE FIGHTERS BELIES FACTS
Pres. Bush Zeroed Out First Responder
Programs In Budget Proposals -- Made Misleading Claims of Budget Increases
To Take Credit for Actions of Congress
WASHINGTON, DC – The General President of the International
Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO/CLC, Harold Schaitberger, issued this
statement today after President Bush released a new ad using images of fire
fighters that imply support for first responders during his term of office.
“President Bush’s new ad using fire fighter images to imply
that he has supported first responders in their battle to protect America’s
homeland is yet another example of his misleading the American People.
“The fact is that the 9/11 Commission said a rededication to
preparedness is needed in this country because they know what two other
independent studies showed – that we are still not safe because two-thirds
of America’s fire departments remain under-staffed, even while President
Bush refuses to spend one penny to fund the SAFER Act, a new law that was
passed with bipartisan support in Congress that would put more fire fighters
in our communities.
“The fact is that a study done by the Council on Foreign
Relations said $19.7 billion per year in funding must be allocated to first
responder programs to bring us up to a level that meets today’s needs.
President Bush’s 2005 budget falls about $17 billion short of that mark. As
a result, our first responders will remain understaffed, undertrained and
ill-equipped under President Bush’s plan.
"The fact is President Bush opted to distribute first
responder funding in a way that assured that money would go to state
bureaucrats instead of front-line emergency responders. And he has failed to
provide New York City with the funding promised in the wake of the 9-11
attacks, despite his use of the images in his ads.
“The fact is that President Bush’s first two budget
proposals for the FIRE Act eliminated the program by zeroing out any funding
for local fire department grants. Congress had to intervene and fund the
FIRE Act grant program again and again, finally increasing its funding
levels to $750 million.
“The fact is that President Bush’s 2005 budget is actually a
reduction of $700 million from last year’s $4.2 billion in first responder
funding approved by Congress and is a cut of 33%, or $250 million, from the
FIRE Act’s current funding levels.
“The fact is President Bush has refused to provide adequate
funding for fire departments protecting military facilities, even after
Department of Defense study identified critical shortages. President Bush
has also trampled on the rights of thousands of federal employees who also
serve in guard or reserve positions, and who are overseas fighting for the
freedoms and rights we enjoy as Americans, only to return to have their
basic employee rights stripped by the president’s policies which prohibit
federal employees at DHS/TSA from organizing and by his recent attempts to
take away the bargaining rights of federal employees throughout DoD.
“When all of the facts are presented, the American People
will see that this President has a poor record of responding to the needs of
the nation’s first responders, and is using misleading images in his ads to
once again create a mirage.”
About the International Association of Fire Fighters (
www.iaff.org )
The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in
Washington, DC, is the 16th largest union among the 64 national unions that
makeup the AFL-CIO. The IAFF represents more than 267,000 full-time
professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who protect 80
percent of the nation’s population. More than 2,900 affiliates and their
members protect nearly 6,000 communities in every state in the Unites States
and every province in Canada.
Click here for
IAFF Press Release Archives
