Homeland Security

The tragic events of September 11, 2001 changed our world forever, forcing America to make homeland security a top priority. We created the first-ever Department of Homeland Security, enhanced our intelligence capabilities, overhauled our airline security program, improved cargo screening programs at our nation's ports, and encouraged communities all across the country to develop emergency preparedness plans. We have come along way over the past few years, but we still have a long way to go until our country has the safeguards in place to prepare and respond to natural and manmade disasters.

One of the greatest challenges we face is overhauling the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As we saw during the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, DHS is plagued with inefficiencies and poor management. The Department's most basic emergency prevention, preparedness, and response functions are going unfulfilled, and the agency has struggled to retain effective leaders since its creation in 2003. If Congress is going to give this agency billions of dollars a year, we must demand greater accountability. DHS must begin to produce results and prove it is capable of keeping citizens safe.

DHS must also strengthen its border and port security initiatives so we can better monitor the traffic entering our country. Thousands of illegal immigrants cross into the United States each day by way of our southern and northern borders. We need to increase the number of border patrols, detention beds, and immigration enforcement officers and invest more resources in technologies that will help officials track anyone entering the country illegally. We must also improve the technology at the nation's seaports so we can inspect 100% of the cargo containers entering our country. Our seaports handle 95% of our nation's foreign trade worth more than $1 trillion a year, yet we inspect less than one-quarter of those containers.

Lastly, we must continue to invest in our first responders who serve on the front lines in our communities. These men and women deserve top quality emergency equipment and any assistance our government can provide in developing effective emergency response plans. This requires a solid investment in our first responder grant programs and a commitment to making all radio communications interoperable so our first responders can communicate in the event of a disaster.

Congressional Research Service Reports

• Border and Transportation Security: The Complexity of the Challenge
• Homeland Security Department Fiscal Year 2006 Appropriations
• Terrorism: Key Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and Recent Major Commissions and Inquiries

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