The Week Ahead: House Committee on Homeland Security

Washington, D.C. (Monday, May 23, 2011) – Today, U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, announced the following Committee events for next week:

Wednesday, May 25, 2011
9:30 a.m., 311 Cannon House Office Building
                                                                              
Full Committee Hearing
Rep. Peter King (NY), Chairman
            
“Threats to the American Homeland After Killing Bin Laden: An Assessment" 

INVITED WITNESSES INCLUDE:
Mr. Peter Bergen
Scholar, New America Foundation
Author of "The Osama Bin Laden I Know" and "The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al Qaeda"

Mr. Evan F. Kohlmann
Founder, Flashpoint Founders
DOD expert witness at Guantanamo military commission trials
MSNBC Terrorism analyst

Ms. Frances Townsend
Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board
Former Federal Prosecutor
Counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush
CNN National Security contributor

Chairman King on the hearing:
"Since the first of May, the national conversation has revolved around details emerging from the killing of Bin Laden by U.S. Special Operations Forces.  At this hearing, the Committee will examine the near-term and long-term consequences and benefits to the security of our homeland resulting from the successful killing of Al Qaeda's founder and top leader.  While the removal of Bin Laden from the battlefield is certainly a victory in our war against Al Qaeda and its affiliates, it also means increased risk of retaliatory attacks against America by Bin Laden supporters, just as we have seen recently in Pakistan.”

Thursday, May 26
10:00 a.m., 311 Cannon House Office Building
                       
Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies  
Rep. Dan Lungren (CA), Chairman      

“Unlocking the SAFETY Act's Potential to Promote Technology and Combat Terrorism”

INVITED WITNESSES INCLUDE:
The Honorable Tara O'Toole          
Under Secretary 
Science and Technology Directorate 
Department of Homeland Security

Mr. Marc A. Pearl
President and CEO
Homeland Security and Defense Business Counsel

Mr. Brian E. Finch
Partner
Dickstein Shapiro LLP

Mr. Scott P. Boylan
Vice President and General Counsel
Morpho Detection

Chairman Lungren on the hearing:
“The SAFETY Act should be a success story for DHS, the business community and our homeland security. As we struggle with tighter federal budgets, we must be more creative in developing homeland security technologies and encouraging their deployment. SAFETY Act protection provides a needed incentive to spur greater investment and innovation by industry in these critical technologies. I want to ensure that the SAFETY Act is attracting maximum participation from the private sector in the homeland security marketplace for the protection of all Americans.”

Long-term outlook: