On July 11, 2014 Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana was given special permission to address the United States House of Representatives for one minute regarding the violence ravaging his Indianapolis congressional district:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my sadness and outrage over the violence that has ravaged my Indianapolis congressional district.
Eighty people, Mr. Speaker, have been murdered so far in 2014. In the last year alone, two police officers–Officer Rod Bradway and Officer Perry Renn–were senselessly gunned down in the line of duty.
Enough is enough. I am calling on my fellow Hoosiers to end this violence, and I am asking my colleagues here in Congress and in the administration for help.
With violence on the rise, police levels in Indianapolis have dropped below 1,500 officers, the lowest number in 7 years. We need increased funding for law enforcement and programs that keep our children off of our streets. We need the resources to not only combat crime, but prevent it from happening in the first place.
It is time for us to end the violence and make our streets safe again”, said Carson.
Source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov/
Rep. Carson is one of the more influential members of Congress. He currently serves on the following committees and subcommittees:
Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
The Committee on Armed Services oversees all general defense policy, ongoing military operations, the organization and reform of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, counter-drug programs, acquisition and industrial base policy, technology transfer and export controls, joint interoperability, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, Department of Energy nonproliferation programs, and detainee affairs and policy.
Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities
The subcommittee is responsible for overseeing counter-terrorism programs and initiatives and counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Additionally, this subcommittee oversees U.S. Special Operations Forces, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), information technology and programs, force protection policy and oversight, and related intelligence support. It makes sure that our nation is protected against terrorist attacks and unconventional threats.
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
The subcommittee has jurisdiction over our nation’s strategic weapons, ballistic missile defense, space programs, and Department of Energy national security programs. It makes sure our nation is properly prepared for any missile or nuclear attacks.