Homeland Security

Congresswoman Lowey has a long record of support for efforts to fight terrorism through a combination of a strong defense, expert diplomacy, assistance for first responders, and special attention to security measures here at home.  She is working with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and President Obama to make our nation and our region more secure through:

• Ensuring local police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel are properly trained and equipped to keep our communities safe;
   
• Protecting the security of nuclear facilities like Indian Point and surrounding areas;
   
• Enhancing aviation security and protecting critical transportation networks like railroads and ports; and
   
• Preparing our public health infrastructure.

First Responders

As the sole New York member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, one of Congresswoman Lowey’s top priorities in Congress is ensuring the New York metropolitan area receives the federal funding necessary to keep our nation’s most high-risk area safe.

Since September 11th, Lowey has helped secure more than $77 million in federal security funds for police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel in Westchester and Rockland Counties.  That funding has helped local first responder replace and upgrade critical equipment like license plate readers, interoperable communications networks, electronic command centers, breathing apparatuses, and much more.

Protecting New York’s Fair Share

New York is our nation’s metropolitan area at highest risk of terror attack.  Congresswoman Lowey believes strongly that our region must receive the largest share of federal homeland security funding, and will not allow New York to be short-changed in order to fund areas facing little to no risk.  That is why she has worked successfully to:

• Limit the number of Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant recipients to avoid diluting the share for high-risk areas like New York;
   
• Protect and preserve the Securing the Cities radiological detection program, which protects New York from dirty bombs; and
   
• Amend the PATRIOT Act to increase the percentage of dollars allocated on the basis of risk, which The New York Times called “the only acceptable approach that meets the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.”

Interoperable Communications

After September 11^th, when first responders from various jurisdictions were unable to communicate with one another, Congresswoman Lowey successfully passed the CONNECT First Responders Act.  This grant program has funded more than $150 million in emergency communications initiatives to ensure that ineffective communications never again puts at risk the lives of emergency response teams and those they are working to protect during an emergency.

Nuclear Security

September 11^th and the nuclear dangers following the 2011 earthquake in Japan underscored the vulnerability of our nuclear power plants to catastrophic terrorist attack and natural disasters.  Congresswoman Lowey believes the threat posed by the Indian Point nuclear plants is unacceptable because of the densely-populated surrounding area and the difficulty of safe and orderly evacuation in the event of an emergency.  

That is why she is working with Governor Cuomo and the New York Congressional delegation to develop alternative energy production and transmission sources, and to decommission Indian Point.  

Congresswoman Lowey supports efforts to increase the safety and security of nuclear facilities and surrounding areas:

• Require that any nuclear plant receiving a renewed license meet the same standards that a new plant would be required to meet, including evaluations of population density, evacuation procedures, and seismic and scientific data not available at the time of the initial license;
   
• Require that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) distribute funds collected as fines for safety violations to counties surrounding nuclear facilities, which are required to maintain radiological emergency plans;
   
• Authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish no-fly zones around nuclear facilities located near major metropolitan areas, including Indian Point;
   
• Mandate an Independent Safety Assessment of the design, construction, maintenance, and operational safety of Indian Point as well as an evaluation of its radiological emergency plan by the Department of Homeland Security; and
   
• Mandate state and county certification of emergency plans as a precondition for the continued operation of all commercial nuclear power plants.

Enhancing Aviation Security

September 11^th exposed the vulnerability of aviation to terrorism.  Since then, Congresswoman Lowey has been a leader in enhancing security in airports and on airplanes.  Congresswoman Lowey has worked successfully to:

• Enact a pilot program requiring screening of all airport employees with access to secure and sterile areas;
   
• Bolster the accountability and integrity of covert security tests by prohibiting advance notification of tests by the Department of Homeland Security at screening checkpoints;
   
• Foster a committed, career-oriented screener workforce by providing basic workplace protections and rights to more than 42,000 airport screeners; and
   
• Enhance flight attendant training and prevent a reduction in the number of flights protected by federal air marshals.

Congresswoman Lowey is also working to:

• Require screening of all cargo on passenger aircraft; and
   
• Protect against shoulder-fired missiles by requiring anti-missile technologies on passenger jets and deploying National Guard and Coast Guard units to patrol areas surrounding airports.

Protecting Transportation Networks

Attacks on railways in Madrid, London, and Mumbai indicate the potential for terrorism targeting transportation networks – like railroads, ports, and bridges and tunnels – is real and urgent.  That is why Congresswoman Lowey is working to:

• Close the enormous gap in spending on aviation security and spending on rail and public transportation security;
   
• Strengthen intelligence sharing related to transportation security and improve safety and security for bridges and tunnels in the Northeast corridor;
   
• Create an international cargo tracking system to map container and vessel movements and increase patrolling of coastal waters; and
   
• Deploy radiological detection equipment to protect ports in the New York metropolitan area.

Preparing Public Health Infrastructure

Hospitals and other health care providers play a critical role in local and national preparedness against bioterrorism.  That is why Congresswoman Lowey worked successfully to pass the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act to:

• Improve community planning and response to bioterrorism, and coordination among local, state, and federal authorities; and
   
• Protect our food and water supply and ensure the availability of vaccines and treatments for all Americans.