Senator Carper serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. For more information on his work on homeland security issues, please visit the committee's website, hsgac.senate.gov.
The Department of Homeland Security was created in 2003 with one critical mission: to ensure that our homeland is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other threats. From countering terrorism, to securing our borders and airports, to responding to natural disasters, few federal agencies touch the lives of Americans on a daily basis more than the Department of Homeland Security.
As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, I continue to work closely with my colleagues on key legislation to bolster the Department of Homeland Security and to strengthen the security of our nation's transportation systems, borders, and cyber defenses.
Cybersecurity is one of our nation’s biggest security challenges and remains one of my top priorities for the 114th Congress. When it comes to cyber, Congress must equip the federal government with the authorities and resources to address this evolving 21st century threat with a 21st century response. In 2014, as former chairman of the committee, I helped pass four cyber security bills that were signed into law that took important steps to modernize our nation’s cybersecurity programs and help the public and private sectors work together to tackle cyber threats more effectively in the future.
My colleagues and I in Congress must get to work on comprehensive immigration reform that is fair, reduces our deficit, and strengthens our economic recovery now underway. Building on the progress we have made in recent years in improving our nation’s border security must be part of that effort. When it comes to securing our borders, I believe we must address the root causes of undocumented migration, supply technology and force multipliers, and strengthen our port of entry operations.
I am also committed to ensuring that the men and women who keep us safe receive the support and resources they need from the federal government so that they can continue to protect us. The homeland security legislation I helped pass in recent years has made places like the Port of Wilmington more secure, the planes on which we travel safer, and urban areas like Philadelphia and coastal hurricane-prone states like Delaware better prepared for man-made or natural disasters.
While we have certainly come a long way in bolstering our national security since 9/11, we must remain vigilant and remember that our nation still faces great challenges that threaten our safety at home. We must continue our important work to improve America’s defenses against terrorism and other evolving threats.
