Cornyn Hails Passage Of Homeland Security appropriations Conference Report
Legislation Strengthens Key Border Security, Port Security & Chemical Security Initiatives
Thursday, September 28, 2006
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, tonight made the following statement regarding Senate passage of the FY 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Conference Report (H.R. 5441), which funds critical measures designed to strengthen America's border security, secure U.S. ports, improve natural disaster preparedness and response, and support state and local first responders. The legislation will now be sent to the President for his signature.
“Protecting our citizens and communities must be the top priority of the federal government and this legislation strengthens a number of critical homeland security efforts. Under the Republican-led Congress, we have taken real steps to better secure our borders, strengthen security at our ports, and provide our first responders with the funding and resources they need to protect our communities. While there is still much work to do, this legislation is yet another important step forward in meeting our homeland security obligations, and I was proud to support it,” Sen. Cornyn said.
Sen. Cornyn also commented on a key provision included in the final legislation that extends the deadline for implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) from January 1, 2008 to June 1, 2009, stating, “There was a great deal of debate on this issue and I’m pleased that my colleagues joined me in recognizing that legitimate trade and travel must be allowed to continue while the Department of Homeland Security improves its ability to implement the new document requirements. This is a common-sense and needed extension of new passport rules that will help our border communities and it was important to ensure that it was included in the final legislation today.”
Finally, the Homeland Security conference agreement funds a number of critical issues:
• Border Security -- It provides $21.3 billion for border protection and immigration enforcement, including $2.27 billion for border patrol, adding 1,500 new Border Patrol agents, for a total of 14,800; $1.2 billion for border fencing, vehicle barriers, technology and infrastructure; and $4.2 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It also includes identical language to the Border Tunnel Prevention Act (H.R. 4830) - which passed the House last week - making it a crime to knowingly construct, finance, or allow the construction of border tunnels beneath the U.S. border.
• P-3Aircraft – As part of the Customs and Border Protection funding, there is $777,983,000 for air and marine operations overall, which includes $70,000,000 for P-3 service life extensions and mission hours. The mission of these critical aircraft (based in Corpus Christi and Jacksonville, FL) are to provide support to CBP’s anti-terrorism mission at U.S. borders, provide support for border interceptions, and conduct air operations in support of other federal, state and local needs, such as disaster relief.
• Port Security -- The agreement provides $4.3 billion to secure our ports and inbound cargo in order to prevent terrorists and criminals from exploiting the international commerce system.
• First Responders -- The agreement provides $3.4 billion for first responders - including terrorism prevention and preparedness, general law enforcement, firefighter assistance, airport security, seaport security, and public health preparedness.
• FEMA Reforms -- The bill includes a comprehensive structural overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve and better coordinate emergency response and crisis management among federal, state and local emergency preparedness officials.
• Chemical Security -- The agreement takes significant steps to safeguard the nation's high-risk chemical facilities, authorizing the Homeland Security Department to audit and inspect facilities and shut down facilities that do not comply with federal safeguards.
“Protecting our citizens and communities must be the top priority of the federal government and this legislation strengthens a number of critical homeland security efforts. Under the Republican-led Congress, we have taken real steps to better secure our borders, strengthen security at our ports, and provide our first responders with the funding and resources they need to protect our communities. While there is still much work to do, this legislation is yet another important step forward in meeting our homeland security obligations, and I was proud to support it,” Sen. Cornyn said.
Sen. Cornyn also commented on a key provision included in the final legislation that extends the deadline for implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) from January 1, 2008 to June 1, 2009, stating, “There was a great deal of debate on this issue and I’m pleased that my colleagues joined me in recognizing that legitimate trade and travel must be allowed to continue while the Department of Homeland Security improves its ability to implement the new document requirements. This is a common-sense and needed extension of new passport rules that will help our border communities and it was important to ensure that it was included in the final legislation today.”
Finally, the Homeland Security conference agreement funds a number of critical issues:
• Border Security -- It provides $21.3 billion for border protection and immigration enforcement, including $2.27 billion for border patrol, adding 1,500 new Border Patrol agents, for a total of 14,800; $1.2 billion for border fencing, vehicle barriers, technology and infrastructure; and $4.2 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It also includes identical language to the Border Tunnel Prevention Act (H.R. 4830) - which passed the House last week - making it a crime to knowingly construct, finance, or allow the construction of border tunnels beneath the U.S. border.
• P-3Aircraft – As part of the Customs and Border Protection funding, there is $777,983,000 for air and marine operations overall, which includes $70,000,000 for P-3 service life extensions and mission hours. The mission of these critical aircraft (based in Corpus Christi and Jacksonville, FL) are to provide support to CBP’s anti-terrorism mission at U.S. borders, provide support for border interceptions, and conduct air operations in support of other federal, state and local needs, such as disaster relief.
• Port Security -- The agreement provides $4.3 billion to secure our ports and inbound cargo in order to prevent terrorists and criminals from exploiting the international commerce system.
• First Responders -- The agreement provides $3.4 billion for first responders - including terrorism prevention and preparedness, general law enforcement, firefighter assistance, airport security, seaport security, and public health preparedness.
• FEMA Reforms -- The bill includes a comprehensive structural overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve and better coordinate emergency response and crisis management among federal, state and local emergency preparedness officials.
• Chemical Security -- The agreement takes significant steps to safeguard the nation's high-risk chemical facilities, authorizing the Homeland Security Department to audit and inspect facilities and shut down facilities that do not comply with federal safeguards.
