Washington, DC – Senator Susan Collins today chaired a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that examined management and structural challenges that face the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), particularly with respect to border and transportation security, emergency preparedness and response, and intelligence. Senator Collins' committee has jurisdiction over DHS, which was created after the September 11, 2001 attacks by integrating 22 separate federal agencies that contribute to the nation's security efforts.
"The Homeland Security Act of 2002 established a clear destination for the Department: to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; to reduce our vulnerability to terrorism; and to assist in recovery should an attack occur. The precise route toward that destination, however, remains under construction. We are here to continue building a road that is as efficient, effective, and durable as possible," said Senator Collins. "After the attacks of September 11th, 2001, the security of America could not wait until this road was mapped out precisely and built to perfection. The Department began operating under the constraints of a great paradox: it had to meet immediately this new threat of the 21st century with 20th Century components – all or part of some 22 existing federal agencies and entities with 180,000 employees. And it had to do so without neglecting the traditional missions of those components."
Senator Collins said that DHS, under the leadership of Secretary Tom Ridge, has made considerable progress to better secure the country's borders and transportation systems, protect critical infrastructure, and improve emergency response capabilities. But she also pointed out that other reforms, such as the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, still need improvement. Senator Collins said, "The Homeland Security Act was not the last word on how we can best marshal our resources. As we proceed with this assessment, I am sure we will confront – and we will address – the broad issue of better integration within the Department, as well as a great many specific issues related to efficiency and effectiveness, accountability and authority."
Witnesses at today's hearing included Richard L. Skinner, the Acting Inspector General at DHS, James Jay Carafano of The Heritage Foundation, Michael Wermuth of The RAND Corporation, Stephen E. Flynn of the Council On Foreign Relations, and Richard Falkenrath of The Brookings Institution. They discussed the findings of recent reports on the achievements and remaining challenges in accomplishing DHS' mission. The DHS IG report, "Major Management Challenges Facing The Department Of Homeland Security," is available at: http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_05-06_Dec04.pdf. The CSIS/Heritage Foundation report, "DHS 2.0," is available at: http://www.csis.org/hs/041213_dhsv2.pdf.
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