“ Our most pressing goals - eliminating the threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction - will not be achieved by any one President or one session of Congress. This effort will require extraordinary vigilance and continuity. ”

Home » Issues » Homeland Security » Closing the Security Gap

Making America Safer: Closing the Security Gap

Determination and commitment resounded throughout this Congress in the aftermath of September 11th. Never again would we allow terrorists to cross our borders unquestioned to plan their deadly acts on American soil. Never again would we allow them to walk through our airports unchallenged, hijack an aircraft, and turn it into a powerful weapon. Never again would we send our bravest citizens–our police, firefighters, and emergency personnel–into a fiery inferno ill-equipped and unable to communicate with each other.

In the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, Congress responded with unprecedented unity and speed. We authorized the President to use all necessary force to destroy the al-Qaeda network and the Taliban government that provided it safe harbor. We enacted legislation to overhaul our airport security system, fortify our borders, and provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with new tools to track down terrorists at home and abroad. We passed legislation to secure our seaports. Democrats proposed that we form a new Cabinet-level department to protect the homeland. Later, the President endorsed this proposal and we worked together to establish the Department of Homeland Security.

Secretary Ridge has stated that "today we are more secure and far better protected than on September 10, 2001. And every single day we get even more secure." But this standard sets the bar far too low. Now, two years after the most deadly single-day attack in our nation's history, the question we should be asking is whether we are as secure as we need to be from future terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, the answer is "no." In the words of an expert bipartisan commission of the Council on Foreign Relations, we are "dangerously unprepared" to prevent and respond to another terrorist attack.

What follows is a set of Democratic priorities to secure the homeland and a call for action to the Administration. It is a plan that puts security first. It is a plan that says "two years is too long to wait." It is a plan that calls on the Administration to fulfill its commitment to make Americans safer and more secure.



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“ It is time for truth, the ground truth, about what is actually happening in Iraq, the ground truth about what we are doing about terrorism, and the trust that the American people must have in our country. We have a reputation that we must enjoy in the world in order to keep the American people safe, in order to promote freedom around the world. ”

- Leader Nancy Pelosi

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