Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) will chair the first hearing of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday, April 8, at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) in room 124 Dirksen Senate Office Building. The Subcommittee will discuss the fiscal year 2004 budget needs for the Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate at the Department of Homeland Security.

The Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate oversees domestic disaster preparedness training and coordinates government disaster response. This area of the Department encompasses the following: the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System, Nuclear Incident Response Team, Domestic Emergency Support Teams, and the National Domestic Preparedness Office.

Michael Brown, Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Department of Homeland Security, will testify before the subcommittee.

**NOTE: Audio from the hearing will be carried live on the Senator's web site at www.senate.gov/~cochran/ Click on the blue text box under the Senator's photograph.