Issue Position: Homeland Security

Issue Position

In this post September 11 world, our most solemn responsibility is ensuring the safety and security of our homeland. That duty to protect and defend our nation is one of the reasons my son, Michael, joined the Air Force after September 11.

Our brave men and women in uniform, like my son, have done everything we have asked of them in Iraq and Afghanistan. They deserve leadership equal to their courage and sacrifice. Unfortunately, the misguided policies in Iraq have undermined the real war on terror. Moreover, we have come to rely more and more on National Guard troops and reservists to fight in Iraq. These soldiers and their equipment are increasingly unavailable or unprepared for domestic incidents.

In the event of a catastrophic incident, be it flooding in the Delta, a seismic event, or another terrorist attack, we must ensure that our first line of defense - firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel - have the resources they need to keep our communities safe. In addition, we need to make sure that our airports and railways are safe and that the cargo coming into our ports is carefully monitored.

We also must make certain our nation's intelligence services are able to conduct the surveillance work necessary to ferret out new threats before they are realized. That need must be balanced against the Constitutional rights and freedoms of American citizens whose private communications should be protected.

I fought in Congress for the full implementation of the 9-11 Commission's recommendations, a comprehensive set of measures needed to prevent and guard against threats to our nation.

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