Topeka – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, and the Kansas Congressional Delegation issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s FY2013 Budget:
"We appreciate that President Obama's budget contains funding to add research missions currently at Plum Island to Kansas State's Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI). It's a signal that Kansas researchers are more than capable of meeting the very challenging task of helping protect our food supply and our overall national security.
"However, for the first time, President Obama's budget fails to provide vital resources for construction of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) despite his administration's overwhelming support for it in the past. A needless effort to reassess the importance of protecting our nation's food supply is a waste of taxpayer dollars. This change of direction is unacceptable and will leave our country vulnerable.
"That said, President Obama's budget is an exercise in futility and reads more like a campaign document. The Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the Senate will not even consider the president's budget.
"The evidence is clear that we need a cutting-edge biosecurity level 4 facility in this country. Kansas has won every competition, met every standard and proven its commitment to this project, and we'll do whatever it takes to fulfill this critical national security need."