The Need for an Increased National Focus on Rail and Transit Security

THE NEED FOR AN INCREASED NATIONAL FOCUS ON RAIL AND TRANSIT SECURITY -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 13, 2006)

SPEECH OF
HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS
OF MARYLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2006

* Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, the terrible events of 9/11 brought intense scrutiny to security on our nation's aviation system and led Congress to enact significant measures to strengthen security both on airplanes and throughout airports. However, this same level of scrutiny has simply not been extended to the other transportation modes in our nation, particularly railroads and public transit systems.

* Even though transit and rail systems throughout the world have been the targets of deadly terror attacks, including the London subway system a year ago this month and the rail system in Bombay, India, just yesterday, the Bush Administration seems guilty of the same lack of anticipatory thinking that plagued our approach to aviation security prior to 9/11.

* In fact, as has happened so often in our nation's history, public voices calling attention to the inadequate security provided for railroads and public transit appear to be warning of a problem in plain sight that is essentially being ignored by officials whose basic plan is apparently to hope that nothing happens.

* In July of last year, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security articulated the Bush Administration's general indifference to security on transit systems when he announced that our nation's public transit systems should expect to bear most of the costs of funding security improvements themselves. At that time, the Secretary dismissed the idea that a terror strike on a transit system could produce ``catastrophic consequences'' by saying ``a bomb in a subway car may kill 30 people.''

* Under pressure, Secretary Chertoff backed away from his statement. However, the Bush Administration appears to have continued its policy of essentially leaving to public transit systems and to railroads much of the financial burden associated with providing any security enhancements on these systems.

* Thus, in fiscal year 2006, the federal government appropriated just $150 million in security grants to be divided among transit intercity passenger rail, and freight rail systems. This is the same amount provided in fiscal year 2005.

* In fact, federal grants for transit and railroad security since 9/11 have totaled just over $550 million. By comparison, the Congressional Research Service reports that the federal government has spent nearly $20 billion on aviation security since September 11, 2001. As evidenced by this funding disparity, national focus has been almost exclusively on aviation security despite the fact that almost 7 times more people use public transportation on a daily basis than fly on airplanes.

* Perhaps not surprisingly given the lack of focus, the inadequacy of federal funding has been accompanied by repeated failures on the part of the Department of Homeland Security to develop comprehensive risk assessments and mode-specific security plans as documented by several GAO studies and now by a study written by the Democratic Members of the Committee on Homeland Security.

* I strongly support the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2006, H.R. 5714, as well as other measures that would strength rail and transit security in our Nation. It is simply incomprehensible to me that Congress has not yet considered and passed these measures that would close gaping holes in our transit security system and significantly increase funding for security grant programs.

* Mr. Speaker, while it will not be possible to protect our transit and rail systems from every possible terror threat, we are not yet doing all that we can to make these systems as safe as possible. Our failure to anticipate the unthinkable before 9/11 led to the tragic death of 3,000 innocent Americans. It is past time that we act to secure our public transit and rail systems before another unthinkable act leads to the deaths of more innocent Americans.

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