Senator Lincoln Gets Meth Money

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln won a significant legislative battle last night by successfully restoring funding in the federal budget to combat the nation`s growing meth epidemic. Last night, during the debate on the federal budget in the U.S. Senate, Lincoln offered her amendment to restore $160 million cut by President Bush from the COPS program`s Methamphetamine Enforcement and Clean Up initiative. After a day of lobbying her Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Lincoln`s amendment passed the Senate. The legislation will now go to a committee of House and Senate negotiators. Lincoln said that while reducing the government`s deficit is essential, the President`s budget relies too heavily on working families in rural America to make sacrifices while he continues to advocate additional tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. Licoln said COPS funding provided for the clean up and disposal of hazardous wastes found at 810 meth lab sites seized by Arkansas state and local law enforcement in 2003 alone, at cost of more than $1.39 million.