Senate takes up homeland security debate

Dr. Coburn offers 3 amendments to cut duplication, protect the taxpayers and sunset the bill

 The 9/11 Commission Report cautioned Congress that homeland security spending should be based on risk alone, not pork barrel politics.  S. 4, the bill currently before the Senate, does not heed their recommendation, and guarantees a significant amount of money in the form of grants for all states and U.S. territories regardless of risk.

• Of the 41 Recommendations in the 9-11 Commission Report, 37 have been implemented.  The remaining recommendations cover the intelligence community and a reorganization of Congress.
• S. 4 does not contain one recommendation of the 9/11 Commission Report.
• This bill throws money at the problem to the tune of $24 billion over 5 years, but doesn’t make America any safer.
  •  Secretary Chertoff has testified to Senate committees that DHS has $5 billion of unspent Homeland Security Grants, and that there is plenty of money in the pipeline but this bill just throws more money at grants without a plan.
  • Click here for examples of DHS grants being wasted on activities unrelated to disaster recovery or national security.  Money went to yoga, salsa dance workshops, a llama and a Tennessee Walking Horse, and more.
• S. 4 creates two redundant grant programs – one in the Commerce Department and one in DHS -- which  do exactly the same thing - $3 billion in DHS, and $1 billion in Commerce.
•  This bill will make us LESS SAFE – not more safe.
  •  It declassifies the intelligence budget, and directs a report on declassifying the budget of the CIA and the NSA – information our enemies could use against us.
  •  It establishes Collective Bargaining for airport screeners at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  This was not recommended by the 9-11 Commission and would reduce the flexibility of the TSA to make changes or respond to threats.

It should be noted that Congress did not hold hearings or debates on this bill prior to the Committee markup or the floor debate.  There are some radical policy shifts in this bill which have absolutely nothing to do with the 9/11 Commission recommendations.

During the Committee markup of this bill on 2/14/07, Dr. Coburn introduced a resolution expressing that the title of this bill, the “Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007” actually mischaracterizes the actual intent of the legislation. 

This bill uses the name of the 9/11 Commission Report as cover to vastly expand the growth of government with new spending programs and provisions that were not recommended by the Commission and in some cases might put this country at greater risk.

Dr. Coburn introduced three amendments which are currently pending before the Senate which attempt to address the shortcomings of the bill.

COBURN AMENDMENT 294

To ensure appropriate and necessary congressional oversight and reauthorization of the “Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007” (S.4) by inserting a sunset date of 5 years (December 31, 2012) so that every dollar authorized for homeland security goes to the most critical threats, and the nation’s most critical vulnerabilities.

COBURN AMENDMENT 325

To require the Department of Homeland Security to comply with the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA) before funds in S.4 can be spent on grant programs within the Department of Homeland Security.

COBURN AMENDMENT 345

Would streamline the interoperable communications grant programs administered by the Department of Homeland Security to ensure accountability and fiscal responsibility in the grant process.

Major Findings:

Permalink