(Washington, D.C.)–At a press conference at the United States Capitol today, Congressman Jim Langevin joined House Democratic leaders and his colleagues on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security in announcing an agenda designed to prepare our communities to protect Americans from future terrorist aggression.
 
The Democratic Agenda is designed to prevent terrorist attacks, provide security within our borders, prepare communities and protect our nation on land, sea and air.
 
"Our world today is very different than it was just two years ago, and the Administration has barely scratched the surface to properly address the many challenges we now face," said Congressman Langevin.  
 
In an effort to prevent terrorist attacks, Langevin and his colleagues have proposed a number of improvements to the current homeland security landscape, including the creation of a unified terrorist 'watch list," greater information sharing between state and local law enforcement, and the development of a comprehensive assessment of threats and vulnerabilities in every community so that gaps in preparedness can be filled.
 
September 11th and subsequent intelligence analyses have revealed that our borders are in need of strengthened security and patrol.   Today, Langevin and House Democrats proposed hiring thousands of additional border agents and inspectors and deploying new technologies to provide round the clock monitoring of our borders.  In addition, the Democratic plan calls for improved tracking of foreign nationals who enter and exit the country, as well as thorough inspections of cargo entering the United States via air and sea ports.
 
While our ports of entry demand increased attention and resources, we must not ignore the crucial needs within our borders.  Since September 11th, the Administration has paid insufficient attention to the protection of critical infrastructures within the United States, including chemical and nuclear facilities, commercial transport, mass transit, power systems and other utilities, and high-volume buildings and public venues like skyscrapers and stadiums.   The Democratic strategy unveiled today envisions a single, comprehensive national list of vulnerabilities in all critical infrastructure sectors and calls for much stronger cooperation between the government and the private sector to ensure these facilities are protected.
 
 Finally, local communities must be ready to respond should another attack occur on our soil.  According to a bipartisan commission, America is "dangerously unprepared" to respond to another catastrophic terrorist attack.  Democrats will determine the needs of all our communities and create a Terrorism Preparedness Grant Program that will get the best equipment and training in the hands of the police, firefighters and emergency personnel who will be the first on the scene of an attack.

"If we are to effectively wage this war on terror, then we must provide our first responders with proper equipment and training," Langevin added.  "House Democrats are committed to ensuring the future safety of all Americans as we learn to cope with these new threats."

-30-