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Office of the 11th Congressional District of Virginia
Formerly the Office of Representative Gerry Connolly
The Washington, D.C., office and the district office of former Representative Connolly will continue to serve the people of the 11th Congressional District of Virginia under the supervision of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Representative Connolly passed away on May 21, 2025. See Press Release

House Passes Connolly-Grimm Measure to Restore $7.7 Million in Funding for Elite Urban Search & Rescue Teams

Washington, DC, June 5, 2013
Bipartisan amendment will restore $7.7 million in federal funding for the 28 federal Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams, including Virginia Task Force 1 (VA-TF 1) based in the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Read more.

The House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan amendment, sponsored by Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Michael Grimm (R-NY), to restore $7.7 million in federal funding for the 28 federal Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams, including Virginia Task Force 1 (VA-TF 1) based in the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

The Connolly-Grimm amendment passed the House Wednesday during consideration of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2217).  The measure restores funding for the USAR teams to the Fiscal Year 2013 level.  The increased appropriation for the USAR teams was offset by a cut of $7.7 million from DHS administrative funding to make it deficit neutral.

Regionally, two of the DHS/FEMA USAR teams are located in Virginia – Fairfax County and Virginia Beach – and a third team is located in Montgomery County, Maryland. 

The Connolly-Grimm amendment was endorsed by every major fire service organization, including the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute.  In a letter to the two congressmen, the organizations said the USAR teams are “essential to our nation’s homeland security,” and said the funding restored by the amendment “will significantly enhance the nation’s preparedness and response capabilities.”

The fire service organizations praised Connolly and Grimm for their leadership on preserving the USAR team funding.  Both congressmen have been stalwart advocates of the USAR teams in the House of Representatives and have repeatedly fought efforts to cut funding for the program.  

“These 28 USAR teams are not just first responders.  For people awaiting rescue, they are the last hope.  These elite, specialized teams have saved countless lives following natural and manmade disasters and terrorist attacks here in the United States and abroad.  Restoring needed funding for these highly-skilled, specialized teams is a wise investment,” Connolly said.

“Urban search and rescue teams play a crucial role in recovery efforts in the immediate aftermath of a disaster,” said Rep. Grimm. “They have come to the rescue of Americans in need after events such as Superstorm Sandy, the Oklahoma tornadoes, and the attacks on 9/11. While current funding levels are still insufficient, further cuts would be detrimental – shifting costs to local governments and diverting funds away from local first responder budgets.  I am pleased that our colleagues see the value in this program and have joined us in saving it from cuts.”  

The Fairfax USAR team has specialized training in rescuing victims from structural collapses and cave-ins.  One of the two USAR teams the federal government activates for international disasters, VA-TF-1 members were among the first to respond to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, Hurricane Katrina, and Superstorm Sandy.  They have served our nation in far-flung locations including Kenya, Haiti, Japan, Armenia, the Philippines, Italy, Turkey, Taiwan, Mozambique, Pakistan, Bolivia, Peru, Honduras, Burma, China, Panama, and Chile.

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June 5, 2013
Statement of Congressman Gerald E. Connolly
11th District of Virginia
Floor statement in support of the Grimm-Connolly Amendment 
H.R. 2217 – Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2014
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to join my colleague, Congressman Grimm, in sponsoring this important amendment to restore funding for our nation’s elite Urban Search and Rescue, or USAR, Teams.  Our modest amendment, which has the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters, would provide level funding for the Department to continue supporting the 28 national teams, which are currently spread across 19 states.  
When people are trapped in the unstable rubble of a collapsed building, the window of survivability can be measured in hours.  Without highly-trained responders, rescue attempts can often imperil victims and rescuers alike.  Thankfully, we have made strategic investments in specialized search and rescue teams. These elite firefighters and emergency medical technicians are not just first responders. For people awaiting rescue, they are the last hope.  As my colleagues are aware, federally-supported search and rescue responders were on the scene in Oklahoma after the recent tornadoes there in New Jersey after Super Storm Sandy last fall.
Prior to coming to Congress, I served 14 years on the Fairfax County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors, and for 9 of those years, I shared my office with a fire station.  I saw daily the selfless dedication of the men and women who put their lives at risk every day in service to others.
Fairfax County is home to one of our nation’s top USAR teams.  In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the local county government, the Fairfax team serves American interests at home and abroad.  The team is comprised of highly-skilled career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, whose daily duties are to serve the Fairfax community by responding to local fire and medical emergencies.  
When called into service by DHS, the Fairfax team, designated as Virginia Task Force One, is mobilized for quick response to domestic disasters, natural or man-made, with special expertise in collapsed building rescue.  Our team was deployed to Oklahoma City in the wake of the 1995 bombing, and it was among the first on the scene at the Pentagon on 9/11.  It also was dispatched to Mississippi and Louisiana in response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  The team has answered the call for help in multiple states, including California, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Kansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.  
When disaster strikes – whether natural or manmade, domestically or internationally – Fairfax and the other select USAR teams have rushed to the scene saving countless lives and property. Their heroic efforts have shown this to be a wise investment and one that ought to be maintained. 
I urge my colleagues to support the Grimm-Connolly amendment to ensure that this successful partnership with our local partners and first responders continues, so that when the next alarm is called, we can take comfort in knowing they are on the job.