Urban Security Grant Problems “Business As Usual” for the Department of Homeland Security
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Today, the House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing to examine “DHS Terrorism Preparedness Grants: Risk-Based or Guess-Work?” The hearing comes less than a month after the Department of Homeland Security announced its 2006 Urban Area Security Initiative grant program allocations, the review of which has drawn sharp criticism from major urban areas including the City of New York and Washington, D.C.
Referring to the importance of today’s hearing, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, said that “every year, the Department of Homeland Security tinkers with the formula it uses to dole out homeland security dollars. When it comes to our nation’s security, we simply cannot tolerate this ‘try, try again’ approach, especially when the Department keeps getting it wrong.”
Congressman Thompson repeated his request of last week to Chairman Peter King (R-NY) to require Secretary Michael Chertoff and Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson testify about the Department’s continual failures that are leaving our nation at risk. “This Committee must conduct aggressive oversight and hold Department leaders accountable for the waste, fraud, and abuse fiascos that permeate throughout the agency. We should do this before Congress recesses for a whole week for the 4th of July. America’s security cannot wait,” said Rep. Thompson.
Congressman Thompson’s opening remarks from today’s hearing appear below:
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“Every year since its inception, the Department of Homeland Security has tinkered with the formula it uses to dole out homeland security dollars, hoping to get it right. Unfortunately, as this hearing today will demonstrate, the Department has not yet gotten it right.
“America simply can’t wait for the Department’s try and try again approach to homeland security. This is especially true for the grant allocation process.
“Many of us knew that the Department was on the road to failing again when it first announced the cities eligible for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program. Large, high risk cities such as Las Vegas and San Diego were not among the top 35 cities eligible to compete for these crucial homeland security grants.
“We have heard from the Administration that terrorists hate the United States because of our values and that they often identify their targets based on symbolic values. Most people would say that Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of our country, would at least make the top 35.
“With all of the recent talk coming from many in Congress about the security risks we face from illegal immigrants coming across our southern border, you would think that San Diego, located about 20 miles from the world’s busiest port of entry, would be rated as an eligible city for this grant program.
“But instead of addressing these questions and failures within his Department, Secretary Chertoff is blaming Congress for cuts to the grant program. George Washington Carver once said that ‘99 percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.’
“The reality is that the Department is responsible for 99% of problems with the UASI grant program, but Congress must also take some responsibility as well.
“The Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program was cut by $120 million in Fiscal Year 2006. Similarly, the State Homeland Security Grant Program was slashed by $550 million for the same year. If Congress doesn’t properly fund these programs, even the best grant formulas will not be enough to fully prepare first responders.
“I must reiterate that the Department’s blunders are completely out of control and growing. Last week, I requested that Mr. Chertoff and Mr. Jackson appear before this Committee to explain the massive waste, fraud, abuse, and incompetence ramped at the Department. In case there was any confusion, let me repeat our request today – Department administrators should not be allowed a free pass to sidestep Congressional oversight when their lower level officials – both political and career – are put on the hot seat.
“Recently, the Department claimed that a letter of support connected to a questionable multi-million dollar contract didn’t exist, only to reverse course and produce the letter days after a Congressional hearing on the matter. At the same time, the Department is on the defensive against the findings of a GAO report, which found massive fraud in nearly $1 billion worth of individual assistance distributed by the Department in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And that report didn’t even include the hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts that the Department awarded to its friends.
“Troubling revelations and a historically poor track record at the Department of Homeland Security means that our Committee must conduct aggressive oversight and hold the Department’s leadership responsible for its problems. If we don’t hold the DHS leadership to account for their failures, it will look like the Department is just doing bad business as usual. I hope that we can hear directly from Secretary Chertoff and Deputy Secretary Jackson in the weeks to come on these and other issues of concern at DHS.”
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact Dena Graziano or Todd Levett at (202) 226-2616.
