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Rep. Michael Grimm assails proposed cut of support team as danger to Staten Island in event of terror attack
The congressman appeared in today’s Staten Island Advance:
Putting the 24th National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team on the chopping block will compromise the safety of Staten Island and the rest of the city, insists Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn).
"The Civil Support Team is an enormous asset to New York City, which still remains the No. 1 terror target in the United States," Grimm said today after a press conference outside Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn. "I'm not afraid to cut, but do it in a way that makes sense. Taking resources away from New York City is asinine."
The congressman said the Defense Department proposed eliminating the Fort Hamilton unit and another in Florida, as part of the Obama Administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2013. Cutting those teams would save about $4.5 million annually, said the congressman.
The congressman said he doesn't seek to compromise security elsewhere in the country, but questioned the wisdom of requiring a unit in each state. Some, such as New York, and, in particular, New York City, are at much greater risk of being attacked than Kansas or Idaho, he said.
The task forces are funded under the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill.
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