After the attacks on September 11, 2001, Americans learned that our homeland is vulnerable to attack, and that we must do more to protect and secure our nation.  These challenges and responsibilities have demanded strong leadership, and I am proud of the progress we have made towards bolstering the security of all American citizens.

Securing Nevada
During my time in Congress, I have helped to strengthen our country’s security, as well as improve security in Nevada.  Because of the tremendous population growth in Nevada and the more than 45 million annual visitors, it is essential that federal, state, and local officials continually improve their communication and coordination for homeland security purposes.  I have been working to provide increased homeland security funding for Las Vegas and Reno, and I will continue to work toward additional funding for our local law enforcement officials.  For example, I worked with then-Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to ensure that Las Vegas remained on the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding list.  In part, because I insisted the UASI funding formula included the transient and tourist populations, Nevada has received over $53 million in UASI grant funding.  This money is vital to Nevada first responders in their fight to protect the people of Nevada and the millions of tourists who visit the state each year.

That is why I introduced the Improving America’s Security Act as one of my top priorities in the 110^th Congress.  This important legislation continues the work of Congress to strengthen homeland security and build upon the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.  This legislation changed homeland security grant formulas to account for short-term populations, such as tourists.  For five years before this legislation was enacted in 2007, the largest homeland security grant programs distributed funds using a formula that arbitrarily sets aside a large portion of funds to be divided equally among the states, regardless of size or need.  In addition, this bill also increased the amount of funding that can be allocated to states with highest risks, such as Nevada.  The new formula will be distributed overwhelmingly based on the risk to an area from a terrorist attack.  The funds would be allocated through Urban Area Security Grants, State Homeland Security Grants, Emergency Management Performance Grants, and emergency communications and interoperability grants.  Additionally, I secured $22 million for the Nevada Test Site as part of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium as a part of the Department of Homeland Security’s 2009 Appropriations.

To bolster our national security against bioterrorist attacks, I facilitated the creation of a National Biosurveillance Integration Center to enhance the federal government’s ability to identify and disseminate warnings of significant biological threats. I have also been a strong supporter of funding for programs to secure and destroy chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union, including passage of the New START treaty, as well as provisions in the fiscal year 2008 Defense Authorization bill that significantly increased funding for biological weapons counterproliferation programs.

Protecting Our Courthouses
The tragic shooting at the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse was a stark reminder of the importance of securing our courthouses.  That is why I worked to pass the Court Security Improvement Act, which authorized $45 million in grants for court security improvements and new equipment for security personnel, enhanced criminal penalties for assaulting public officials, prosecutors, and witnesses, and increased protection for judges and their families against the malicious publication of their personal information by individuals who intend them harm.  Additionally, I have been working with the U.S. Marshalls Office to make certain they have adequate resources to secure courthouses and provide personnel to guard courtrooms.  In order to preserve the freedom and integrity of our judiciary, court personnel must be protected from attack.

Cyber Security
With our economic, military, energy, and transportation infrastructure increasingly becoming “wired,” our nation faces no greater threat in the 21st Century than a major cyber attack.  Las Vegas sits on top of one of the largest intersections of fiber-optic networks in the world.  A disruption to these networks caused by a major cyber attack could take down the networks of Nevada’s businesses, cause power outages, interrupt financial transactions, and even cause major infrastructure to fail.  While the United States has been the world’s leading innovator in developing information technology, our defenses have not kept pace.

That is why I have led a broad Senate effort to pass comprehensive legislation to enhance our nation’s cyber security and give our government the tools it needs to prevent, deter, and respond to cyber attacks.  Earlier this year, I joined the chairmen of 7 key committees in introducing the Cyber Security and American Cyber Competitiveness Act of 2011, which lays out a roadmap to improving our nation’s defenses in cyberspace.  Building on this effort, I am working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass comprehensive cyber security legislation this Congress. 

Protecting Our Ports and Borders
I took the initiative in improving border security as the original sponsor of the Improving America’s Security Act of 2007.  Passing that same year, this legislation improved communications capabilities among emergency response providers near border areas, mandated the hiring of hundreds of new Customs and Border Protections officers, and supported the integration of chemical and nuclear detection equipment with border security systems.  In 2008, I secured a $3 billion surge in emergency spending to substantially increase the number of Border Patrol Agents; deploy more unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based radar, and camera towers to help patrol isolated areas of the border; construct roads along the border for the use of Border Patrol vehicles, as well as additional miles of vehicle and pedestrian fencing; end catch-and-release; and achieve and maintain operational control over the international land and maritime borders of the United States.  Most recently, in August 2010, I led the passage of a $600 million border security package that allocated funding to hire an additional 1,000 Border Patrol agents, 250 new Customs and Border Protection officers, and 250 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.  Additionally, this legislation funded upgrades for communications equipment used by border security agents, as well as the purchase of additional unmanned drones to curb human trafficking and drug smuggling.

Since I became Majority Leader in 2006, the Senate has passed legislation adding more than 6,000 border patrol agents and increased annual funding for Customs and Border Protection to over $10 billion.  Thanks in part to these stronger border security and enforcement efforts, the number of immigrants entering our country illegally has decreased by two-thirds, and for the first time in 20 years, there has been a significant decline in the number of immigrants living illegally in our country.

First Responders
Our local police, firefighters, and those who serve in the National Guard are the front lines in our fight for real security.  First-responders are critical to our national security, and I have always been a strong supporter of funding for local law enforcement.  I have traveled throughout Nevada over the course of the year, speaking with officials from Churchill County to Nye County.  I learned that homeland security is hometown security, and I remain committed to provide first responders with the training, staffing, equipment, and technology they need.

I have listened to the needs of first responders, and have helped to deliver federal funding totaling more than $100 million since 2000 to address their priorities.  For Example, in southern Nevada, I helped to secure funds for a Mobile Command Center to improve officer response and communication in a crisis.  In northern Nevada, I funded anti-methamphetamine projects in Carson City.  And in rural Nevada, I helped to purchase equipment for nurses to complete sexual assault exams.

For more information on my work on behalf of Nevada’s first responders, please click here.