Homeland Security

Homeland Security Priorities

The 37th Congressional District of California, which I am privileged to represent, has a vital interest in ensuring our homeland security needs are adequately funded. Whether it was preparing for the recent tsunami that was triggered by the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan and reverberated to the Pacific Coast of the United States or planning for the annual plague of wildfires, the federal government's initiatives in emergency planning and preparedness is of incredible importance to my state and my constituents. Coupled with the fact that my district is also home to many high-value terrorist targets, such as the Port of Long Beach, makes homeland security policy and funding one of my most critical legislative priorities.

CARGO SCREENING

I am concerned about the decrease in funding for international cargo screening. The President's Budget Request for FY 2012 is $68.7 million, which is a decrease of $93.24 million from the FY 2011 annualized Continuing Resolution amount of $162 million. This reduction is justified on the ground that shifting to remote targeting and random sampling of examinations of freight rather than physically inspecting cargo at the ports of a physical presence of personnel at the ports offer greater security. I disagree. The 9/11 Act sets forth a goal of working towards 100% cargo screening, and any budget cut would indicate a movement away from that goal. While I recognize the fiscal constraints facing the President and the Department, I cannot support a de-emphasis on cargo screening at the expense of the safety of our nation's ports.

SAFER AND FIRE GRANTS

In addition, as Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency, Preparedness, Response, and Communications, I oppose any cuts that adversely affect the ability of firefighters to respond to public emergencies. H.R. 1, which called for a $510 million dollar cut from the FY 2010 Budget and a $310 million dollar cut from the President's FY 2011 Budget Request, represents a dangerous budgetary trend that would severely hinder our nation's emergency preparedness and response efforts.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program and the Assistance to Firefighter Grants (FIRE) are essential programs that help local fire departments equip, train, and maintain their personnel, preparing them to respond to all forms of emergencies, from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. Any proposed cuts would severely limit the ability of local fire departments to meet community needs and maintain the readiness of local first responders during all types of emergencies. Collectively, these two programs are often the last life-line of defense for fire departments struggling to sustain their capabilities in this economic downturn.

The current fire station capabilities are simply not enough to protect both the federal infrastructure assets and the size of the surrounding area. Far too often, we ask our firefighters to risk their lives in our defense, and I believe we have an obligation to provide them with the resources they need, including state of the art fire stations.

NUCLEAR DETECTION

I also support increased funding for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. This office performs the critical research, development, and operations needed in order to prevent a potential catastrophe from occurring in the United States. However, H.R. 1 approximately cuts $31 million for this office compared to the FY 2010 Budget and $33 million compared to the President's FY 2011 Budget Request.

As we have recently learned from the tragedy in Japan, the ability to plan for, detect, and mitigate a nuclear disaster is more important now than ever before. That is why I believe that future cuts to this vital program could have devastating consequences to our nation's security.

DISASTER RELIEF

As we all know, disaster relief funding is imperative to ensuring Americans have the tools they need to adequately prepare for worst case scenarios. State and local governments often play a critical role in helping to provide relief to communities that are hard hit by manmade and natural disasters. This is why I was so troubled when H.R. 1 cut nearly $783 million from FEMA's budget to assist State and Local Programs compared to the FY 2010 Budget and $820 million compared to the President's FY 2011 Budget Request.

The tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 people and is an example of why we need to make sure our nation has the necessary resources to respond to major disasters of all kinds. Many Americans remain unprepared for a disaster as serious as a tsunami, and state and local emergency officials say that cuts in funding have strained their ability to respond. As events such as this one has shown, this is not an area where we can afford to cut corners.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS

I would also like to stress my support for funding of Emergency Operation Center (EOC) grants. The budget calls for an elimination of these grants as a standalone program, but I believe that any attempt to consolidate this program could dilute the amount of funding for the integration of state and local emergency communication systems.

The EOC Grant Program was established to improve emergency management and preparedness capabilities for state and local communities through flexible, sustainable, secure, and interoperable EOCs with a focus on addressing identified deficiencies and needs. In my district, the City of Compton is surrounded by five major freeways and located within 10 miles of two of the largest ports in the nation (Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles). Additionally, the 20-mile-long rail cargo expressway connecting the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles known as the Alameda Corridor, runs through Compton's high-threat, high-density urban area. The current first respondent capabilities in the City are insufficient to protect these infrastructure assets, and failure to secure necessary funding for our current operations center could jeopardize the health and safety of millions of residents.

EMERGENCY PLANNING

Although we may never be able to prevent disasters, we have the ability to effectively plan for worst case scenarios. However, local schools and communities often lack the resources they need to have an effective plan in case a natural disaster or terrorist attack occurs. This is why I recently re-introduced legislation to alleviate some of this burden from school districts. My bill, H.R. 1128, The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Preparedness Planning Act, empowers school districts in high-risk areas to bolster emergency preparedness training by establishing a program to award grants to local educational agencies located in areas at risk for terrorist attacks, natural disasters and public health emergencies. This is the type of funding initiatives I believe we need in order to ensure our communities are adequately prepared for when a disaster strikes.

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