the national guard and fema are racing to the front lines. >>> and tonight, crisis in egypt. a huge announcement that president hosni mubarak gives in. say he will not run for re-election >>> still tense of thousands of people remain in the center of liberation square. after the biggest day of protests egypt has seen. >>> on "world news" -- mom, dad and drugs. older americans taking 10, 20 pills a day. some of them hidden in their homes. what can caregivers do? our series, helping families on the brink. >>> good evening and welcome. for 100 million americans, it's about as dangerous as winter can get tonight. emergency teams are racing to help us in the path of the monster storm descending on one half of the country. wind, snow, and ice stretching more than 2,000 miles. and you can even see it from space. take a look. in a matter of hours, the storm marching across state after state. even down in texas, where they play the super bowl on sunday, an offensive line of shovellers chipped away at the sheet of ice. >>> in kansas city, there was an army of plows. in wisconsin, such

fema takes a hit in the operationing budget. there's some cuts in the program of federal grants for local fire departments which have a lot of support here in congress. but overall, i repeat what i said at the beginning. in a tough time for our federal government, with the probably major focus that all of us as you can see from the day-to-day developments around here is how to bring federal spending back into balance with revenues. i think this is a fair and responsible budget. i almost say and fair balanced but i got worried it would be confused with other activities in washington so i look forward to your testimony. and of course, to continuing to work with you in this session of congress as we did very productively in the last one to ensure that the department of homeland security has the resources and the authority it needs to carry out its critical mission on our behalf. senator collins? >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, in the interest of time, i'm just going to make a few comments and i would ask that my full stat

the other federal departments with fema,

fema, the environmental protection agency and the drug enforcementstruction would have deep cuts. program to help poor people pay heating bills would be eliminated. the budget has more money for clean energy projects. republicans pounced on the proposal, claiming it will do nothing to reduce the national debt. >> we will spend $46 trillion over the next 10 years, this is not in a steer budget. >> the president says it will increase in the short run but brings it down over the next decade. >>> if a look at other stop stories covered by our crews today. >> reporter: what happens if voters reject the governor's plan to extend taxes and fees to balance the budge isn't the that question was put. he says if could lead to increased class size for k through three. tuition increases that university level and could lead to additional pay cuts for state workers. dan kerman, kron 4 news. >> reporter: the sheriff is concerned about governor brown's proposal. the sheriff says it could increase the jail population here by 40% and it's already overcrowded. he is calling on the governor to send mo

fema will step in to help out as they can. >> traffic is will find at the golden gate bridge. we will be back after this break. >> we are looking at service in loss angeles for it de exercise, the lane, pete was 96 and died of respiratory complications. one of president bush's daughters is appearing in the video voice in her support for its same sex marriage. kimberly as of look at the club? it >> the video is controversy all. if you remembered during his term in presidency you worked hard on banning same-sex marriage and now his daughter barbara it is for it. take a look. >> i and barbara welsh and i am a representative for same sex marriage quality. -- barbara bush. your support equality into able to married when they love. >> it is part of at bunch of different clips featuring prominent new workers. >> to be have any idea of how her family feels? >> we have not heard a statement from president bush. her mother and cindy mccain and her daughter came against it. traineesdick cheney is a daughter as well. >> not a total surprise. thank-you kimberly.

the other thing is fema. we need to be looking at fema and the impact that fema has had on designating certain properties within floodplains. today i spent a great deal of time working with the company that wants to bring three her jobs to the area. an area that was designated as a floodplains to a pretty arbitrary study, and at this point they are kind of wondering if they want to be here. we need to look at fema one size doesn't look at all. certain areas flood back, certain areas not an issue. although those are two areas i would like to consider. thank you. >> the same thing that i've heard from prescott, a navajo nation and window rock all the way to your comp the same things, one size doesn't fit all. it's also an unruly regulatory body that now has decided we're going to take it to you what's going on instead of working with you. and you're right, pinal county is a lot different than portland, oregon. this -- isn't about time? one time ago i remember we didn't have -- i remember when the epa folks came

fema awarded san jose nearly $15 million to beef up staffing levels. but the money comes from washington and with strings attached for city hall f san jose rehires those firefighters it has to keep them on the payroll for two years. >> we'll need a 10% pay cut in the way of kons yegss. the question is whether or not we need more than that without having to hire firefighters in and layoff someone else in order to cover costs. >> you may remember the union rejected taking a 10% cut in pay in order to avoid layoffs. the president wants san jose to take advantage of the grant money. >> and uc berkeley reinstated three of five sports teams set to be eliminated. cal officials say they've received between $12 million and $13 million, enough to fund the men's rugby and womens gymnastics teams for seven to maybe as long as 10 years. this is not enough to keep alive the baseball team and men's gymnastics program. many say they're disappointed. >> we've learned it wasn't enough. not enough for just two of the teams. it's a disappointing result. >> the expectation

we no, fema, flood map's don't incorporate future risks and some say they don't adequately incorporatelood risks. the story we heard from david on often does but insurance companies are interested in this because they obviously have a financial stake in that and we may see some changes in insurance policies. after katrina, the new orleans levies were built to the exact same standards before. i didn't want to argue about the height but they certainly did not include climate change and one would argue they built them at an ineffective manner to begin with but they did not rebuild with climate change. brad said the colorado river and it's use of,hydrology, and it occurred to me, why are they not addressing climate change. why is the bureau not integrating it into the analysis of the system and i'll come back to an example of that in a moment. we have not yet done in california a systematic assessment of reservoirs. there have been some studies on specific reservoirs or river basins and how flexible or inflexible they might be under existing rules and there are a couple of studies that loo

fema is offering san jose $15 million to boost staffing. but the money comes with a major string attached. san jose must promise to avoid firefighter layoffs for two years which could mean cuts to other departments. >> we will certainly need a 10% pay cut for concessions. but will we need more than that to make this happen without having to hire firefighters and lay of on somebody else to cover the cost. >> the firefighters' union rejected a 10% pay cut last year triggering the lay of yo. the head of the union said his members will do thar part at the -- their part at the bargaining table to help this grant come through. >>> violent sex offender carrie verse was back in the hospital after sex -- after sexually harassing a man. he was chemically castrated for assaulting men and boys. he tried to move to several cities and was met with protest. he ended up in bay point where sheriff deputies arrested him today. >>> congresswoman jackie spear introduced a package of privacy bills to protect her information on-line. her legislation comes as the

craig fugate is at fema headquarters in washington. as we just heard, administrator, this is a multi-region storm. does it require a different kind of response by your agency? >> well it does mean you have to be prepared in a lot of different areas. supporting states. because we're not sure how bad it's going to be particularly the ice and the damage to the power lines, we've been positioning supplies and generators from as far west as oklahoma city and all the way up to get ready to support the northeast states. a lot of area to cover. we've been working with the states for the last day-and-a-half getting ready just in case it's needed to support them. >> suarez: there's heavy pressure on transportation system. road, rail and air. is there some sort of coordination between parts of the country about what gets shut down and how and when it comes back up? >> yeah, i think it's more due to the weather. i mean the airports again the airlines have been telling people up front get ready for a lot of cancellations. adjust your travel. again,

. >> reporter: fema is already positioned in 11 states. states of emergency declared in at least four. and the national guard has been deployed in others. >> nothing's leaving, so you don't know whether to sit here and wait or rent a car and try to drive. >> reporter: more than 6,000 flights already cancelled. power outages reported from texas to michigan and beyond. chicago, where they know winter is bracing for two feet of snow. >> we are prepared to use our whole fleet of 274 trucks and 120 garbage trucks with quick hitch plows. >> reporter: heavy snow and ice hammering major cities hard. >> i'm charles hadlock outside dallas, where snow, sleet and ice brought airport closures and shut down mass transit. just as 100,000 people are starting to descend on this city for this weekend's super bowl. >> here in oklahoma city, we've had winds gusting close to 40 to 50 miles an hour. that's causing whiteout conditions here. visibility at times getting below an eighth of a mile. that creates dangerous travel conditions. in fact, the state departm

deputy fema administrator tim manning was in christchurch for a conference. a former firefighter, he joined in the rescue effort. >> eventually came back over here to a pancaked building where we worked in the rubble for a while trying to retrieve some people that were calling for help. >> reporter: this is the second big quake here within a five-month period. as was the case with new orleans after katrina, some are talking about leaving christchurch and not coming back. christchurch officials have two words for people who want to help out, send money. they have got plenty of blankets, plenty of clothing, what they need now is cold, hard cash. brian. >> george lewis with the unbelievable situation in new zealand tonight. george, thanks. >>> and in this country, another day of protests in madison, wisconsin, as the battle over stripping public employees of collective bargaining rights continues, and the protests and clashes are spreading now. some state lawmakers in indiana left the state to protest an anti-union bill that republicans have now dropped. but the

the head of fema is treating the storm as if it were an approaching hurricane. >> it's not somethingup on us. it's been well forecasted. we know it's going to be bad. >> reporter: here in chicago meteorologist mike kaplan expects up to 3 inches of wet, heavy snow per hour by tomorrow night. >> generally 1 to 2 feet will be a good rule of thumb. some of the computer models are printing out even more than 2 feet of snow. this will rank in one of the top 5 storms in chicago. >> one for the ages? >> absolutely. >> reporter: that would rival chicago's crippling storms of 1999 when nearly 19 inches fell and 1967, 23 inches that paralyzed everything. this time chicago's mayor is taking it all in stride. >> we always have snow. we always have snow. i mean it's -- it doesn't matter, you know. we know that snow is coming and you get set. >> reporter: but he's leaving office soon. other city officials seem far more worried. >> we don't want to scare anybody but we want people to be prepared. >> 3 inches an hour is quite a bit and it's a challenge but we're out with -- the plan is ready. the pla

fema is a support agency. the real heroes right now are the local responders that are still going out in the storms, rescuing people. still running emergency calls. local department of transportation, as well as national guard units in support. this is really -- these types of disasters, local responders and state governors supporting them. so far, we've not had to do anything beyond be in prepared mode. we're ready to go. we're glad you're at the ready. >> director fugate, thank you very much. hope you have a good day. >> thank you. >>> back to the northeast, where we're dealing with a huge storm and ice right as the morning commute begins. linsey davis is outside boston with the latest on conditions there. lindsey? >> reporter: good morning, george. here we go. round two is in full effect. areas northwest of boston, that's gotten the hardest hit yesterday with eight inches. we're expecting another three to six inches later today. the all-time record snowfall in boston, 107 inches. so far this season, boston

. >> reporter: tonight the head of fema is issuing a rare warning, the kind usually reserved for theorst disasters. >> this is not something sneaking up on us. it's been well forecasted. we know it's going to be bad. prepare like it's bad. >> reporter: the biggest winter storm of the season comes in two parts. tonight, a lighter snow in the midwest and tomorrow a monster storm barreling in right behind it. blizzard warnings are already out for at least seven states. it's expected to be a 2,100-mile-long path of sleet, snow and ice from the southern plains into new england affecting nearly 100 million people. some places may also see up to an inch of accumulating ice making driving impossible, potentially downing power lines and toppling trees. >> just a quarter of an inch of ice can cause us quite a bit of damage. we have identified mutual assistance crews to bring in, and we'll be mobilizing those crews yet today. >> reporter: chicago has been spared heavy snow so far this winter, but by wednesday the storm could dump up to 12 to 18 inches rivaling a blizzard of 1967 when 23 inches

and recently, we combined with fema and we now have a program for each of, i think, it's the eight fema sectors. the last one, the first one was run in philadelphia just several weeks ago. involved over 300 people, including the philadelphia police chief, dhs, fema, fbi. again, running through a scenario like mumbai with multiple shooters. because you're absolutely right, it's going to be the detroit police or the philadelphia police that are there first. how do they respond? whatspecialized tools can the u.s. government bring to bear? and certainly be happy to work, i think it's sheriff bucharred to get that training to detroit. >> the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i appreciate the opportunity to be with you here today. i've noticed that the gentlewoman from california has departed. but i did want to take a moment on the record to express my regret that i will not have the opportunity to work so directly with her, having been given the opportunity to chair the subcommittee on counterterrorism and it would have creed that chance. i think i sp

fema is offering 15 amendment to boost fire department staffing but the money comes with a string attach. they must avoid layoffs for two years which could mean cuts to other departments. >> we'll need a 10% way cut in the way of concessions but whether or not we need more than that to make this happen to hire firefighters and lay off somebody else to cover the costs. >> the union rejected a 10% pay cut last year triggering the layoffs. the head of the union told abc7 his members will do their parted in the bargaining table to help the grant come through. >> it knows who you are, where you live and how much you earn and it's telling everyone. the special media site that spooked a lot of people. >> budget cuts, last minute [ female announcer ] toet fresh-baked rich, indulgent chocolaty brownies you don't have to open your oven... just the refrigerator. ready-to-eat pillsbury sweet moments. find them in the refrigerated section of your store. with cinnabon cinnamon have such a sweet and delicious aroma that my family can't wait to get their hands on them. enjoy cinnabon cinnamon... now in

the head of fema is treating the storm as if it were an approaching hurricane. >> what we want to telle is just like with the hurricane, you see the storm coming, now's the time to get ready. >> that's what cities have been doing. oklahoma cities with snowplows standing by. in chicago they've moved mountains of road salt into place. hoboken, new jersey, owners with snowed in cars were told to dig them out or they'd be towed. the other worry is ice. a big belt of it heavy enough to snap tree branches and power lines. it could reach from oklahoma across missouri illinois, indiana, ohio and pennsylvania. >> it's not out of the question though we could see half an inch of ice. if we get that there's going to be real problems. we're talking about major power outages, driving difficulty, shutting down roads. >> we know it's going to be bad. >> one more round for a winter-weary country and this one could be the biggest of them all. abc news. >> well, it seems like we're hearing -- like groundhog day. >> you know what if you talk to anyone back east they are angry. (laughter) other not happy o

i think you got a readout yesterday that indicated that fema had coordinateors on the ground across the arc in the country of where we were predicted to see that winter weather. they spoke again today. the president received another update. i believe the fema director was going to do a briefing on camera today to talk about some of the preparations that have been had as we assist state and local entities and as we help businesses deal with the repercussions of losing power. obviously, we anticipate that we could see appeals for disaster declarations, again, which come from the state level, up to the federal level. i think at this point, it's hard to make some broad macroeconomic determinations about the impact of this storm. obviously, we have had tricky weather for this time of the year for many weeks, how that affects some economic statistics or hiring certainly remains to be seen. >> airlines shutting down -- >> i would point you to d.o.t. and f.a.a. for the particulars of that. obviously, some of the pictures that you see in places that are used to dealing with pretty tough weather

fema, the epa, and the drug enforcement administration will of deep cuts.poor people assistant heating bills would also be reduced. high speed train, clean energy republicans pounced that it will do nothing to reduce the national debt. >> we're going to spend 46 trillion dollars over the next 10 years? this is not an obscure budget. >>catherine: the budget will increase shipments, but it will is hoping that it will long-term decrease. and with california voters refusing to extend a detaxes and fees. that is part of jerry brown's big idea. and what is going to happen? >> with a program, nation and extension of taxes and fees. the real question is that wimpact? what is that in terms of additional cuts? to put that into the legislative analyst's. here are the options with a 9% reduction pay reduction and a 35 percent reduction to employees' health care. increasing k-3 school crosses feet betweeschool-size,g fee at the college level. and requiring the second tenths word strike before serious and violent crimes, only. firefighting ft. for residential properties

fema is offering san jose $15 million to boost fire department staffing but the money comes with a major string attached. san jose must promise to avoid firefighter layoffs for two years which could mean cuts to other departments. >> we'll certainly need a 10% pay cut in the way of concessions. the question is whether or not we need more than that in order to make this happen without having to hire firefighters and then lay off somebody else in order to cover the cost. >> the firefighters' union rejected a 10% pay cut last year triggering the layoff. he said his members will do their part at the bargaining table to help the grant come through. violent sex offender terry burks is back in a hospital after accused of sexually harassing another man during a therapy session. he was chemically castrated after a series of convictions after sexually assaulting men and boys. he tried to move into several cities but was met with protests. he ended up in bay point where sheriff deputies arrested him yesterday. coming up next, it knows who you are, where you live and how much you earn and it's telli

the head of fema is treating the storm as if it were an approaching hurricane. >> just like with a hurricaneorm coming, now's the time to get ready. >> that's what the city has been doing. oklahoma city's fleet is standing by. they moved mountains of road salt into place. hoboken, new jersey, owners with cars dig them out or they'll be towed. the other worry is ice, a bill belt of it, heavy enough to snap tree branches and power lines. it could reach oklahoma across missouri, illinois, indiana, ohio and pennsylvania. >> it's not out of the question we could see half an inch of ice. if we get that, there's going to be real problems. we're talking about major power outages, talking about driving difficulty, shutting down roads. >> we know it's going to be bad. prepare like it's bad. >> one more round for a winter-weary country and this could be the biggest of them all. abc news. >> houston airport also closed due to thunderstorms now, too. >> by the time we head to the weekend with the super bowl, i think we'll see temperatures in the 40s there. >> right now they said the packers had to move i

fema approved 58 safer grant nationwide. there is 9 in california and san jose get by far the lion share of the golden state money. nearly 15 million dollars. the mayor says the problem with the grant is that there are strings attached. if the the city accepts the funds it new promise not to lay off any firefighters for two years. >> certainly need 10% pay cut in the way of concession. question is whether or not we need more than that in order to make this happen without having to the higher firefighter and lay off somebody else in order to cover the cost. >>reporter: budget balancing act will be difficult. city faces a 110 million dollar short fall. last year the firefighters union refused to accept the mayor's 10% demand. union president told me today they will do their part in the negotiations process. no one want to walk away from a 15 million dollar check. >> everyone will have to pull their weight p.department. city man year office and firefighter. we need our firefighters to assist us in finding way to make this happe

and recently, we combined with fema and we now have a program for each of, i think, it's the eight fema sectors. the last one, the first one was run in philadelphia just several weeks ago. involved over 300 people, including the philadelphia police chief, dhs, fema, fbi. again, running through a scenario like mumbai with multiple shooters. because you're absolutely right, it's going to be the detroit police or the philadelphia police that are there first. how do they respond? what specialized tools can the u.s. government bring to bear? and certainly be happy to work, i think it's sheriff bucharred to get that training to detroit. >> the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i appreciate the opportunity to be with you here today. i've noticed that the gentlewoman from california has departed. but i did want to take a moment on the record to express my regret that i will not have the opportunity to work so directly with her, having been given the opportunity to chair the subcommittee on counterterrorism and it would have created that chance. i think i

and recently, we combined with fema and we now have a program for each of, i think, it's the eight fema sectors. the last one, the first one was run in philadelphia just several weeks ago. involved over 300 people, including the philadelphia police chief, dhs, fema, fbi. again, running through a scenario like mumbai with multiple shooters. because you're absolutely right, it's going to be the detroit police or the philadelphia police that are there first. how do they respond? what specialized tools can the u.s. government bring to bear? and certainly be happy to work, i think it's sheriff bucharred to get that training to detroit. >> the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i appreciate the opportunity to be with you here today. i've noticed that the gentlewoman from california has departed. but i did want to take a moment on the record to express my regret that i will not have the opportunity to work so directly with her, having been given the opportunity to chair the subcommittee on counterterrorism and it would have created that chance. i think i

his entire council candidates known as fema irvington was also elected feeling the mandate for his leadership. mayor, if you would like to share that concept with the rest [applause] [laughter] >> never mind. he was elected to an unprecedented third term in office. stevens might embark on the journey and his participation in the male mentor program that was launched in newark new jersey this year. the initiative is the capacity to build men from the faith based community engaged in mentoring young boys. mentor recruit, reclaim and restore is certainly something i am personally support about as well. let's hear for mayor smith about his -- about this and his other work in this city of irvington to address the work and opportunity for the populations. >> thank you, mayor nutter. as i mosul been between the stephanie caucus of my years -- [laughter] and i want to thank you for a couple months ago your great technology summit in philadelphia i had a great learning experience, and to all the mayors let me quickly talk to you about initiatives around the mentorship with all the things we have to do

including with the way fema was brought in and including some of the different cultures, use that word again, that had to mesh together. now i'm in the position with senator mccaskill to be on the ad hoc subdmat deals with acquisitions called contractor oversight subcommittee and noticed in the budget proposal we have before us that you have made a request to provide more funds, $24 million more. 150 more positions -- new positions throughout the department. first i would ask you, why are you asking for those additional resources? and what can we do to ensure that those additions, should they be approved actually promote efficiency, transparency, avoid some of the management breakdowns seve seen and therefore save taxpayer dollars? talk about that. >> yes, senator. actually, this is part of creating, the department is having that internal management structure and the assets to do that. it's a big department we do a lot of acquisitions and are often criticized for some of those acquisitions. different standards used by different elements of the department. different requirements employe

there were 17 agencies from multiple departments-- coast guard, the secret service, fema, all being fused together into one organization. and all at once. >> narrator: they broke ground on what will become the home of a mammoth bureaucracy. its $3.4 billion headquarters will rival the pentagon as the largest government complex ever built in washington. >> you had something that you should never offer a bureaucracy, which is a candy store without a price tag. >> narrator: when dhs was first created, official washington believed 9/11 was a failure of federal intelligence agencies to communicate. >> there was something like 40 different agencies that had databases that had information that was not being shared and correlated. it was not connecting the dots. >> narrator: the buzzwords became "connecting the dots" between federal government agencies and the states. that's why d deced to fund fusion centers in the states, a place where intelligence from thousands of local police forces and federal government databases could be brought together and analyzed. >> you need to get information. you n

fema pays to to work for bill foster and we had tampico and dixon in our district.f you can imagine for a democrat it was -- but we had a picture of your dad. he was a scientist and said not that he didn't like your dad, if we had to pay homage to your dad, that was the proper form to do it. but my question to you with that as a backdrop his i.d. when when my republican party invokes your dad and they constantly do, i think to emulate his success and his personality more than anyone else. when they broke it down for policy positions or things you think you know him and you just think he wouldn't say that or he wouldn't do that, does it make you mad or do you started this mess? how do you react to that? it can be annoying at times. i'll admit that. but it comes with the territory. i understand why they are doing it. who else do they have? are not going to go to nixon. harding? hoover? they are pretty much done with ronald reagan, which is not so bad. i do know many of those people not only didn't know him, but hadn't met him and yet they are speaking for him. i am ve

that's really what everybody here i think all the way up the line to fema is telling people stay at home, don't go out in it. that's the way to stay safe. >> one of the big concerns in an ice storm is that you'll get that heavy ice wrapped on power lines which can drop down and then kill electricity. and that's the last thing you want to have when you have sub zero temperatures like that. so what's the situation on power there? >> reporter: yeah, we haven't gotten any word on serious power outages yet. this storm started with a little bit of ice quickly converted to snow. authorities here are glad about that. the ice was certainly something they were worried about and something they've dealt with a lot here in oklahoma. especially like you said if there's power outages and there's folks maybe older folks, things like that and they're stuck without power, that can be a really dangerous situation that can magnify the impact of everything. as this storm makes its way across the country you already mentioned ice in texas, they're going to see ice through the midwest and plains. that could be

. >> it's not conservative politics, it's the fema handbook. .talked about -- president bush talked about that. i'll agree with lara that politics have always been ugly in the u.s. and partisan. i thought president bush was partisan when he said how unprepared he was. he had the great relationship of bob bullock, who was an old lying crusty democrat, who was salty and profane in his language, but he said let's work together. bush thought he could come to d.c. and get it done. >> julian zelizer, too early to reassess the 2000 election? >> no. there's good work written by jeff toobin on the court battles over the election. i'm not sure in terms of what actually happened. i think there's been a lot of very good assessment. and in terms of the impact on the presidency, i think that's already been an important part of the story and will continue to be both in terms of how bush thought of himself and the kinds of tensions it created within the country over his presidency. i think they were quite significant. but again, polarization doesn't start with george bush, it doesn't start in 2000. polit

the other thing is fema. to really be looking at fema and the impact that fema has had on designating certain properties within floodplains. today i spend a great deal of time working with the company that wants to bring in 300 jobs to the area in an area that was designated as a flood plain through a pretty arbitrary study. at this point they are wondering if the want to be here. we need to look at fema, one size does not fit all. some areas, not an issue. those are two areas i would like to look at. >> well, that is the same thing that i have heard from the navajo nation of away to hear. the same thing. one size does not fit all. also an unruly regulatory body that has now decided if we are going to dictate to you what is going on instead of working with you. you're right. it's a lot different in portland oregon. isn't it about time -- i mean, long time ago i remember we didn't have an epa. i remember when the first tpa folks came about. we needed them. they were one of us. practical applications. there wer

fema approved 58 safer grants nationwide, there is nine in california. and san jose gets by far the lion's share of the golden state money, nearly $15 million. the mayor says the problem with the grant is that there are strings attached f the city accepts funds it must promise not to layoff firefighters for two years. >> we'll need a 10% pay cut in the way of kons yegss. the question is whether or not we need more than that in order to make this happen without having to hire firefighters and layoff someone else in order to cover costs. >> the balancing act will be difficult. the city faces a $110 million short fall. last year the firefighters union refused to accept the mayor's 10% demands. the union president told me today that they will do their part in the negotiations process. no one wants to walk away from the $15 million check. >> everyone swril to pull their weight. and the department or council and mayor and our city manager as well as firefighters. we need our firefighters to assist us in finding a way to make this happen. >> and representatives

just a new adventure. >> reporter: fema is mobilizing generators and supplies for emergency sheltersill bring in. apparently they beat out cleveland, minnesota, even st. louis. so good news for charlotte. >> congrats. >>> a picky ape in south carolina is going bananas over the super bowl. >> i always wonder how we find these stories. at the grenville zoo, baby bob was asked to predict this year's super bowl champions. bob, clearly a packers fan. he immediately went for the green bay shirt over the steelers. >> that's my boy. bob's big pick was part of his big birthday celebration. don't put too much stock in his choice. bob there, he's only 5. >> that's the only concern for why that choice isn't -- >> yeah the age. >> we'll be right back. ♪ 12 men on the defense we take no nonsense ♪ call i made. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare

and as long as we have fema that writes checks after disasters and a national flood insurance program, there's a good reason that the federal government is involved with beach renewerishment. it has nothing to do with legislation, but a heck of a lot to do with flood protection and that's why the federal government is involved in it. so, to my friend from athens, you are welcome to come to the islands, despite this irresponsible amendment of yours. i'm going to oppose it and welcome you to come. mr. frelinghuysen: could i inquire about time? the chair: the gentleman has one minute remaining. mr. frelinghuysen: i'd like to yield to mr. pa pallone from new jersey for the remaining minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in strong opposition to this amendment. beach replenishment san economic engine for towns and the tourism industry. it ultimately creates jobs. and also it's based on an army corps cost-benefit analysis that says that for every $1 we spend on beach replenishment, we save $2 or $3 depending on the cost-benefit analysis

and 1648 of this bill which cuts funding to the federal emergency management agency also known as fema. i oppose these provisions because they are unwise, irresponsible and they undermine what our nation learned do. we want to go back? how many of us remember watching on television when we looked at 9/11? how many of us remember hurricane katrina? it wasn't that long ago and i know i don't want to go back. this bill that the republicans have brought to the floor is reckless, it's not only reckless to our economy, it's reckless to the american workers and above all it puts our national security in harm's way. the terrorist acts of september 11 revealed the catastrophic consequences of our inability to communicate. have we forgotten? we just got inner operable radios in my district just last year. they're not all connected. and it's a huge vulnerability for all of us. communication glitches also occurred during the response to hurricane katrina yet the republicans want to step back and terminate those grants for inneroperable emergency communications. have we not learned anything? these

recovery is still fragile and local budgets are actually contracting and workers are being laid off, fema needs the flexibility to use these grants to keep firefighters from being cut off in the first place. after all, the purpose of the safer program is to help maintain a safe level of fire staffing across the country. according to the firefighter organizations, over 5,000 firefighter jobs have been lost since 2008 and another 5,200 are currently at risk. right now, the safety of our communities is being jeopardized by potential and actual layoffs of public safety personnel more so than because of a reluctance to hire new personnel. this amendment also continues provisions from 2009 and 2010 that waive certain budgetary requirements, local fire departments have to fulfill in order to receive a frant. these include not allowing a fire department's overall fwounlt drop below a certain level, not reducing staff over a number of years even if budgets continue to suffer and providing local matching funds. again, these provisions are fine when local coffers are healthy but we all know how stra

funding the entire department of homeland security, which covers everything from the coast guard to fema, from secret service to the border patrol. no one denies that waste, fraud and abuse exists and that we need to continue to enact reforms that will lessen waste, convict those who would with defraud the government and eliminate abuses of programs that are designed to help those who need it most. but if this amendment is signed into law, then six days later we will all get a harsh reminder that campaigning against waste, fraud and abuse is not the same thing as implementing a policy that cuts out billions of dollars in useful spending. these rescissions will hurt individuals, they will hurt communities and jeopardize safety of life and our security. mr. president, let me also point out to our colleagues that if this amendment is enacted, we cannot stop rescissions of unobligated balances from a single account that we may view as vital because the amendment gives sole decision-making power to identifying cuts -- of identifying cuts to the executive branch. and i'll say this again, mr. p

fema has already dispatched teams with emergency supplies to six cities across the midwest. >> we know it's going to be bad, prepare like it's bad. >> where there isn't snow, there is accumulating ice. on sidewalks, roads and power lines, possibly an inch of ice expected in some places. >> i'm barbara pinto in indianapolis, you see the trouble under foot and above. thick coats of ice on everything. >> in denver temperatures may not get above zero today the first time that's happened in 15 years. clayton sandell is there. >> reporter: we poured water and as you can see, it's frozen solid after only 15 minutes. the real problem is water in your skin. that, too, can freeze if it's exposed, and with windchills here in denver 30 degrees below zero, frostbite kicks in only one minute. >> and while the rest of the country wait force those conditions to appear, some have been in those conditions all night long like m our ryan owens in new york city. good morning, ryan. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. i'm 800 miles to the west and south of you. here in oklahoma city they're predicting

we really need to be looking at fema and the impact fee man has on certain properties. i spent a great deal of is -- a great deal of time working with these companies. it is a pretty arbitrary steady. they are wondering if they want to be here. >> this is the same thing i heard. one size does not fit all. we are going to dictate to you what is going on inside of working with you. isn't it about time? i remember we did not have an epa. i remember when they came back. we were into them. they had practical implications. they were helping the situation. now we have a disconnect. people were educated. this is where we have to start. we can move them in and tell us how they were communicating. it is not just limited to air quality. it is in the foreign services. they put energy in it. once again, i was disappointed. everything should be on the table. it is time that they demanded it. they should be answering to you paid in you control the purse strings. it is fast. you are not one to get any money. we have than spending time with everyone listening. i wanted to get back to yo

and so we've done several things, partially due to security grant program, where we are working with fema a number of different transportation systems, including some of those in chicago that use the money for several things. one is training of officers. it may be additional canine programs and training. it may be such things as even in new york city were last year they were able to hire 120 or so officers in the n.y.p.d. just for enhanced security and the subway and 450 subway stations. that was money to the grant program. we also have micro genes in a motor protection response teams, which are designed to be visible, unpredictable deterrence to those with the station in philly or new york or in chicago. and some of that is to grant monies start working the state and locals. we recognize we can't be all things to all people at all times. we have to work through the local partnership, whether it's state and local patrice, amtrak police, whether it may be. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back. he met a friend and colleague from california, mr. lundgren is recognized for five minutes. i