Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 - Conference Report

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007--CONFERENCE REPORT -- (Senate - September 29, 2006)

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Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Senator from Ohio for this important discussion. I also concur with the assessment of my colleagues, Senator PRYOR and Senator WARNER. This issue was discussed at length before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The effect of silence on the chemical security language in question is clear. Federal law that is silent in this way can still occupy the field and impliedly preempt any State legislation on the same topic. Further, the precedence for Federal preemption in regulatory matters dealing with security is clear. In the interest of national security, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was created to oversee the nuclear facilities. Given the importance of this critical infrastructure and the clear national security concerns, the Federal Government has exclusive regulatory authority. I concur with my colleagues who have noted that in matters of national security the Federal Government should perform its constitutional duty to defend the homeland.

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Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to thank my colleagues for their hard work on the fiscal year 2007 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. I also want to congratulate my friend from New Hampshire, Chairman Gregg, for his leadership in putting together a package of funding that will secure our country's ports and borders and strengthen immigration and customs enforcement. During this session of the 109th Congress, we have spent a good deal of time considering measures that would strengthen our borders and reform our immigration system. I believe this spending bill is a testament to the administration and the Senate's commitment to these issues.

In this bill, the conference agreed to provide a total of $34.8 billion to secure our Nation's borders and infrastructure. This marks an overall increase of $2.3 billion over the fiscal year 2006 enacted level, including supplemental funding, and includes a $1.8 billion emergency spending provision for border security.

This bill specifically sets aside over $8 billion for Customs and Border Protection. I represent a State that is directly impacted by its southern border with Mexico, and I laud the provisions that provide funding for 1,500 new Border Patrol agents. My home State of New Mexico is also home to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, FLETC, and the addition of extra Border Patrol agents prompted the conference to provide $275.25 million for new facilities, salaries, and additional instructors.

The bill also provides a $602.2 million for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to procure and maintain air assets. I thank the chairman for supporting my request for $20 in funding for unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV's, and related support systems. The conference report also provides $232.98 million for a border construction program. Funds from this program will be used to construct and maintain border facilities, and $7.46 million will be used to build vehicle barriers along my State's international border with Mexico. We have heard a great deal from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, ICE, about the need for additional bed space for apprehended illegal immigrants. The committee provides a total of $3.89 billion in funding for ICE, of which $153.4 million is to be used for additional detention bed space.

Mr. President, it is no easy task to prioritize funding of programs related to homeland security. I am proud of Chairman Gregg's leadership in ensuring that our Government has provided the resources and moneys necessary to secure our borders and strengthen our enforcement systems. Under the chairman's leadership, we have increased funding for border security each year, and I am proud that we have done so again this year.

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