Issue Position: Homeland Security

Issue Position

As the new Chairman of the Judiciary Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee, I recognize that Congress' top priority is to protect the American people. We must make sure that our law enforcement and intelligence professionals have the tools they need at their disposal to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks. At the same time, we must ensure that our government uses its scarce resources wisely, and that it strikes an appropriate balance between national security and protecting civil liberties.

In the 111th Congress, the Judiciary Committee has a full agenda of terrorism issues, including renewing parts of the PATRIOT Act that are due to expire soon. We also will review the Administration's plans for detainees in Guantanamo Bay, and work to restore the credibility of the Office of Legal Counsel, through a review of its opinions on government policies related to terrorism.

In recent years, no other issue has generated as much criticism of the United States as the status and treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. President Obama has begun the process of closing the American detention facility there and also has made it clear that no branch or service of the United States Government shall engage in any form of torture.

I have also...

* Co-sponsored the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009, which gives the President expanded authority, including new economic sanctions, to stop Iran in its pursuit of nuclear weapons capability.

* Chaired a hearing on Strategies for Terrorism Information Sharing, which brought together federal, state and local officials to explore strategies for creating a government terrorism information sharing system that protects both national security and civil liberties.

* I will chair hearings on the reauthorization of expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, including wiretap rules. I also will hold a hearing on the administration's plan to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, including the details of a lawful and efficient process to bring accused terrorists to justice in appropriate military or civilian courts.

* I will chair a hearing on biological research security, focusing on whether there is proper oversight of personnel working with dangerous pathogens. These high-security laboratories are critical to our national security, but the government must be able to track all of its hazardous materials.

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