Hey, kids you like fire trucks and firefighters? Guess what? You local fire department is being treated the exact same way children’s healthcare grant-funding is being treated! As THV11 reports, the International Association of Firefights is trying to get the word out that while the Republican-led Congress worries itself about how best to steal money from every American in order to give it to the wealthiest one percent, there are serious funding issues being held in abeyance.
Shannon Meissner, Director of Governmental Affairs for the International Association of Firefighters, said that to continue keeping local fire departments well-funded, Congress need to vote on these grant programs right away. She said that while the Senate has unanimously approved legislation to continue these grants, the House has yet to vote. If they don’t, the existing legislation will expire on January 2, 2018.
“Fire and safety have always had very broad bipartisan support,” said Meissner. “The problem is simply scheduling it for a vote and there is no reason Republican leadership can't do that right now.”
Republicans are more interested in getting this tax robbery through before Christmas so they can get some of that fundraising money while they are on vacation. There is also the fact that Republicans believe there is no reason not to leave open their options to leverage any and every humane safety net in our society, just in case their best chance at jamming through this terrible wealthy tax cut is to make everyone desperate enough to dine on table scraps.