Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2006--Conference Report

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006--CONFERENCE REPORT

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Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, in the Senate this year, we have considered this homeland security bill during two very different times of crisis. When the bill was on the floor of the Senate in July, the reprehensible train bombings in London had just occurred and there was a desire to increase funding for rail security. Now, we consider this conference report during the immediate aftershock of two damaging hurricanes in the gulf coast, which demolished entire cities and towns. And there has been a call and an urgency to provide Federal financial help. We have met that call through significant--very significant--supplemental emergency funds. While these funds need to be monitored to make sure they are spent wisely and prudently, it is appropriate to help get the people in these areas back on their feet. And it is important to remember that this is an emergency, and emergency needs are being addressed through tens of billions of dollars that have been approved.

The conference report we are considering today addresses the Department of Homeland Security as a whole. It is an amalgamation of 22 Federal agencies and it encompasses the broad spectrum of homeland security needs. But first and foremost, the Department must be focused on the national security of our country.

The conference report before us builds on that. It is threat-based and provides total appropriations of $31.9 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, directly focusing on two of the most vulnerable areas of our homeland security: weapons of mass destruction and border security.

As a country, we pride ourselves on being an open and democratic society that affords tremendous freedoms to its citizens. Unfortunately, there are terrorists who wish to prey on that trust and openness and to harm and kill massive numbers of innocent civilians to attack our way of life. There is absolutely no question that if a terrorist gets control of a weapon of mass destruction, be it biological, nuclear, or radiological, it will be used against us and against the fundamentals of Western civilization. This conference report provides over $2.4 billion for WMD and terrorism prevention and preparedness, including funds to assist State and local jurisdictions.

Similarly, because we seek to participate in an open and vibrant world, our borders are incredibly porous and access into this country is easy. Regrettably, that openness is now a threat to us. We do not have a handle on who and what crosses into our country everyday. This conference report provides $9 billion, which funds 1,000 new border patrol agents, 250 new investigators, 460 new detention personnel, and the necessary infrastructure and training capacity to support a vast improvement in our border security.

I want to particularly single out the coast guard for the outstanding job they have done in the gulf coast States. They exemplify a working agency--one that does its job without fanfare and complaint, and which produces tremendous results in the number of lives that were saved rescuing over 33,520 people--as many as they have over the past 8 years--stranded by Hurricane Katrina. Their superior work day in and day out is well recognized. This conference report provides a total of $7.86 billion for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2006.

As clearly as we saw the top performance of the Coast Guard during Katrina, the problems in FEMA continue to be highlighted. And this Committee intends to conduct an in depth analysis of the Department and this agency. At this time, putting more money in this bill, on top of the $60 billion in emergency funds already provided and the funds that will soon be coming in the next supplemental, is not the solution.

I continue to also be concerned about the vast amount of unspent funds in the Department, particularly the $6.2 billion in unspent funds for State and local grants. For that reason, this bill limits funding in those areas. As a part of the National Preparedness Goal, State and local jurisdictions are undertaking a review of their essential capabilities, to determine what has been accomplished with the funds provided so far. The results of this analysis will be used to inform future funding decisions.

Interoperable communications remains a significant priority. One of the hurdles facing communities attempting to achieve this goal is that not all of the technical standards, known as Project 25, are finished. Some standards continue under development.

Overall, this conference report represents a responsible and targeted approach to homeland security funding. Were we able to fully meet every need? No, given fiscal constraints, we focused our limited resources on eliminating the most serious and detrimental vulnerabilities of our homeland security. And we have made a significant accomplishment in beginning to address the major threats facing our national security as a whole. This conference report demonstrates our strong commitment to shoring up our national security, making the Department of Homeland Security a better agency with a more coordinated and cohesive approach, and ensuring we are focused on the emerging threats of today rather than on yesterday's problems.

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