Washington, DC:  Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the following statement today regarding the allocation of $1.67 billion in homeland security grant funds to states and areas of the country considered “high-risk” for terrorist attack:

WASHINGTON, DC - Representative Edward Markey, a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today announced that the Homeland Security Committee agreed to include his provision calling for an authorization of $60 million in funding for the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS).  The MMRS program, which had been slated for elimination in the Bush Administration’s budget submitted to Congress earlier this year, is the only federal program that helps first responders, medical personnel, emergency management workers, businesses and other stakeholders develop effective, integrated capabilities to minimize casualties in the event of a terrorist attack using a weapon of mass destruction, a public health crisis such as a pandemic flu or a natural disaster such as a hurricane.

WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce and Homeland Security Committees, and Representative William D. Delahunt (D-MA), senior Democrat on the House International Relations Oversight and Investigations Committee today sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) asking questions about a recently released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which revealed that the NRC altered its security regulations for nuclear reactors in response to industry pressure. 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced new requirements regarding the cargo that is transported on passenger planes, but left unaddressed the complete failure of TSA to inspect or scan most of that cargo.  U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior Democrat serving on the House Homeland Security, and proponent of 100% inspection of all cargo carried on passenger planes made the following statement in response to the new regulations: