John Kerry believes we shouldn’t be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them in Brooklyn. Our first defenders should never come in last in the budget. Firefighters are first up the stairs and John Kerry believes they deserve to be first in line when we decide our spending priorities.
America needs a new strategy for homeland security that asks Americans to do more and takes steps as big as the threats we face. We need to put our faith and trust in the people on the frontlines – and back it up with real resources. We need to make sure first defenders have the gear and support they need, and the benefits and protections they've earned. John Kerry has a six-point plan to ensure that we are safer, stronger and more secure on our own soil.
John Kerry: A Homeland Security Plan to Keep America Safe
Under the Bush Administration, cops are being taken off the street to pay for more tax cuts for billionaires and critical homeland security needs have been unmet. John Kerry will take the fight right to terrorists everywhere. He will also keep us safer at home by investing in our first defenders, securing our vulnerable infrastructure, and improving our domestic intelligence.
Bush is Failing on Homeland Security
Ninety Percent of Cities Have Not Received Funding. "A study last fall by the U.S. Conference of Mayors showed 90 percent of cities had not received their share of $1.5 billion allocated by the nation's largest homeland security funding program. Moreover, an informal poll in 43 states recently showed that a third of counties nationwide still have not seen any federal funding for first responders, said Larry Naake, executive director of the National Association of Counties." [Associated Press, 2/12/04]
Kerry Unveils Plans to Ensure America is Prepared for Increased Terrorism Threat
Calls for More Information and Resources for Local Law Enforcement
“When the threat of terrorism is increasing I’ll do more than simply issue an Orange Alert. As President, I’ll make sure that towns and cities don’t have to bear all the burden of increasing security – a price tag that can weigh in at several million dollars a day. I will create an ‘Orange Alert Fund’ that pays for police overtime and other security enhancements,” -- John Kerry
Plan to Restore American Security in Honor of Pearl Harbor Day
Plans to Enhance Intelligence, Improve Port Security
Read the Full PlanRead John Kerry's Speech
Priorities
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A National 'Defend America' Initiative |
Americans showed on September 11th that they want to contribute to their communities and their country. Yet the Bush Administration has asked little of Americans, focusing instead on giving more tax cuts for the wealthy. John Kerry believes winning the war against terrorism will require tapping the best our country has to offer and asking more of Americans. He would start by making homeland security a central mission of the National Guard as well as AmeriCorps. John Kerry’s plan will also include a New Community Defense Service to provide volunteer manpower in the event of an attack. Kerry will call on the private sector to help bring technological innovations to the war on terrorism. |
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A New 'First Defenders' Initiative to Assure Local Responders are Equipped and Ready |
America should not ask our domestic responders to go with inadequate staffing or equipment. However, again and again, the Bush Administration has looked the other way when it comes to real money for first responders. John Kerry believes first defenders should be a priority now. Kerry’s First Defenders Program will do just that – by assuring first defenders have the gear to do their jobs safely and effectively. John Kerry has proposed creating a new fund for fire fighters – named after a September 11th hero, Father Mychal Judge, the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department who died delivering last rites. The Father Judge Fund would be similar to the COPS program and will hire up to 100,000 new firefighters and to provide the equipment necessary to assure firefighters are prepared. Kerry also believes we must restore funding to COPS to realize its initial mission of 100,000 new police officers. This initiative would also develop appropriate standards for preparedness in our cities and provide resources so communities can meet these goals. |
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Bringing Information Technology to the War on Terror |
Most firefighters and local police don't have the equipment they need to communicate with each other during an attack. John Kerry believes local enforcement agencies must have the information they need to fight terrorism. That includes assuring first responders can communicate in an attack, which should also include the ability to share information with appropriate state and local officials. Attorney General Ashcroft’s solution to address identification challenges has been a wholesale assault on civil liberties. With better technology, we can replace these "big-net" tactics with more targeted efforts to identify real terrorism suspects. |
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Reforming Domestic Intelligence |
Many of the examinations of 9/11 have raised serious questions about whether the FBI is the right agency to conduct domestic intelligence collection and analysis. Kerry believes that the Bush Administration’s proposed Terrorist Threat Integration Center, (TTIC) will not be able to do the job, given its dependence on other agencies' analysts, the bureaucratic divide created between people identifying vulnerabilities and individuals charged with eliminating those vulnerabilities, and the number of people in charge which could complicate efforts to work with the state and local governments on information sharing. John Kerry believes that simplifying the bureaucratic charts makes more sense. America needs an independent intelligence capability that focuses explicitly on domestic intelligence. |
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A National Homeland Health Initiative |
America’s public health system has risen to important challenges before, but it lacks the advances necessary to detect or contain a major outbreak. John Kerry believes we must connect the nation’s public health systems with a real time detection system to pool patient data across the country. This initiative would also provide training in developing plans for a surge in patients. We also need to increase research – and bring together the best of the public and private sectors to develop broad-spectrum designer antidotes so that our first responders and our population can be protected and treated from the widest possible range of attacks. |
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Defending Our Skies, Sea and Land |
Currently, 95% of all non-North American U.S. trade moves by sea, concentrated mostly in a handful of ports. John Kerry believes improvements in port security must be made, while recognizing that global prosperity and America’s economic power depends on an efficient system. Kerry’s plan would develop standards for security at ports and other loading facilities for containers and assure facilities can meet basic standards. To improve security in commerce, John Kerry believes we should accelerate the timetable for the action plans agreed to in the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico “smart border” accords as well as implement security measures for cross-border bridges. Finally John Kerry will pursue modest safety standards for privately held infrastructure and will help owners find economical ways to pay for increased security. |
