Bacon requests $34M for bomb-sniffing canines program

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) has requested $34 million in funding for the Canine Reimbursement Program after President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request eliminated funding for the program.

The Canine Reimbursement Program provides funds for local law enforcement agencies to partner with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to train their bomb-sniffing dogs and handlers.

The congressman said he requested that the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security include $34 million in funding for the program for fiscal year 2024, which would keep it at its current fiscal year 2023 funding.

“I will continue to advocate the necessary federal support to those who risk their lives every day, so they have the tools they need to keep us safe,” Rep. Bacon said on March 31. “The administration did zero negotiation before pulling the funding.”

Douglas County Sherriff Aaron Hanson reached out to the congressman when the president’s budget request was released.

“Foreign and domestic terrorism are an unfortunate reality in today’s world,” Hanson said. “The Omaha Police Department’s Bomb Dog teams not only keep our airports safe, they keep our entire city, county, and metropolitan area safe. We all rely on these dog teams to keep us safe.”

Rep. Bacon said he was “flabbergasted” when Sherriff Hanson told him that the Biden administration proposed ending funding for a program that provides invaluable training to law enforcement to help protect communities from small- or large-scale bomb attacks. “These dogs and their handlers risk danger each time they go into a location to check for bombs and other security concerns which are obviously a safety concern for any community in not only Nebraska, but America,” Bacon added.