Strengthening Domestic Nuclear Security Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 5629, the Strengthening Domestic Nuclear
Security Act of 2014.

The bill under consideration today would essentially codify important
existing authorities and programs within the Department of Homeland
Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, or DNDO as it is known.

Congress has long emphasized the need to detect and interdict
smuggled nuclear radiological material before it enters the United
States, funding investments in nuclear detection domestically and
abroad.

Since 2001, the Department of Homeland Security has adopted a
strategy of securing the border and ports through the use of radiation
portal monitors and nonintrusive imaging equipment. Under the
leadership of Dr. Huban Gowadia, DNDO leads the Department's efforts at
developing, testing, and evaluating next-generation detection
equipment.

For the record, this measure is being considered today outside
regular order, without any formal legislative action taken on it in
committee. Given that we are in the waning days of the 113th Congress,
I support bypassing regular order so that the House is afforded the
opportunity to consider this legislation. The timing is important, as
the Secretary is expected to transmit to Congress analysis about how
efforts at addressing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
threats could be streamlined as part of the ``unity of effort''
campaign.

I would note that in advance of the introduction of H.R. 5629, the
subcommittee on which I serve as ranking member did conduct an
oversight hearing in July where we received wide-ranging testimony
about DNDO's programs and activities from the Department and the
Government Accountability Office. Testimony from GAO underscored DNDO's
historical challenges with the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal, or ASP,
program.

Back in 2006, one of the urgent, initial activities of DNDO when it
was stood up was the development and placement of technology to detect
illicit nuclear materials and devices that could be shipped in cargo
entering the United States. The plan was for advanced spectroscopic
portals to be installed at all U.S. ports and selected border crossings
to screen cargo shipments for nuclear materials. That acquisition
turned out to be a debacle, with DNDO moving forward on acquisition
decisions well before the technology had been demonstrated to live up
to its promise. Those missteps cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Subsequently, the ASP program was canceled.

The current DNDO leadership and, for that matter, DHS leadership seem
to have taken these tough lessons to heart and put in place some
significant new processes and controls in the acquisitions process to
help avoid another such debacle.

One of the important features of this bill is the authorization of
the Securing the Cities program. This program represents a real success
for DNDO. Under the Securing the Cities program, DNDO works with local
State, city, and tribal leaders to bolster technical nuclear detection
capabilities, nuclear forensic efforts, and coordination of
nonconventional threats. As a New Yorker, I have special interest in
this program, which has done so much to help keep my city secure from
nonconventional terrorist threats.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his bipartisan approach
in developing this language and look forward to working with him in the
future on this important program.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my partner on this
subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan). You have
been a great collaborator and friend to me on this committee. Together,
we have amassed a record of bipartisanship to be proud of, particularly
in the area of cybersecurity. I wish you well in all of your future
endeavors, and I thank you once again.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 5629, the
Strengthening Domestic Nuclear Security Act of 2014, and I yield back
the balance of my time.

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