Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee
From 2001- 2006 and again since 2011, I have served as the chairman of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations subcommittee, which funds the Commerce Department, Justice Department – including FBI, DEA, ATF and U.S. Marshals Service – NASA, National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). From 2001-2006, the subcommittee also had jurisdiction over the State Department, until the new State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee was created in 2007. I served as ranking member of that new subcommittee from 2007-2009.
As chairman, I have has worked to rein in federal spending while continuing to preserve core priorities such as job creation, boosting U.S. competitiveness through smart investments in science and space exploration, fighting crime, gangs and terrorism, and bolstering cybersecurity.
Among other things, I included language in the FY 2012, FY 2013 and FY 2014 spending bills to encourage American companies to “re-shore” some of their manufacturing facilities back in the U.S. The legislation also required the Commerce Department to immediately set up a task force to examine what needs to be done to encourage U.S. companies to bring their manufacturing and research and development activities back to America’s shores and directed the development of a new online tool called “Assessing Costs Everywhere” (ACE) to help American companies better understand the hidden costs of offshoring, among other provisions.
Recognizing that America’s position as the world’s leader in technology and innovation is facing unprecedented challenges from countries like China, I have devoted more federal dollars toward basic science research. In addition, I proposed legislation to provide interest-free loans to math, engineering and physical science majors as a way to entice more students into the sciences. The Science Coalition, an alliance of more than 400 organizations, institutions and individuals dedicated to promoting U.S. leadership in the sciences, awarded me with its prestigious “Champion of Science” award for my efforts.
For two decades, I have led efforts in Congress to help prevent terrorism in the United States. In 1998, I legislation creating the National Commission on Terrorism. The report – which was released in 2000 – served as a wake-up call to the threat from al-Qaeda and transnational terrorism. Unfortunately, the commission’s recommendations were largely ignored by the Congress as well as the Clinton and Bush administrations until after 9/11. During his first tenure of the CJS subcommittee, I oversaw the FBI’s post-9/11 transformation into counterterrorism agency. In an effort to assess and update U.S. counterterrorism reforms post 9/11 and review how the FBI is handling emerging threats like domestic radicalization, I included direction in the FY 2013 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill to direct the FBI to bring back members of the 9/11 Commission to evaluate which of the panel’s recommendations have been implemented and to examine emerging national security threats, including domestic radicalization. More than a decade after 9/11, I believe there is significant value in revisiting the assessments and recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and to consider the evolving threat of terrorism over the last decade. The commission would then provide the President and the Congress with new recommendations to stay ahead of the threat. In late 2013, former Attorney General Ed Meese, former Congressman and Ambassador Tim Roemer and respected national security expert and Georgetown University Professor Bruce Hoffman were appointed to serve on this commission and a final report is anticipated in 2015.
Press Release:
Independent Panel To Reveiw FBI's Post - 9/11 Response To Terrorism, Radicalization
Finally, I have authored a number of cybersecurity provisions that were signed into law in the FY 2013 and FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bills that fund the departments of Commerce and Justice as well as NASA and the National Science Foundation. These directives are intended to better protect IT systems at these agencies and bolster U.S. cyber defenses. Some of these initiatives include:
- Restricting the purchase of IT equipment from Chinese state owned or controlled telecom companies unless certifications are met
- Expanding training for FBI cyber agents involved in national security intrusion cases
- Increased funding and resources for FBI’s unique cyber-related authorities and expertise to further the Bureau’s investigatory, intelligence gathering and technological capabilities to address malicious cyber intrusions and protect critical infrastructure in the United States from cyber attacks
- Directing the FBI to produce an annual national cyber threat assessment, in both classified and unclassified versions