Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I do, Mr. Chairman. I make a point of order against the amendment because it provides an appropriation for an unauthorized program, therefore it violates clause 2 of rule XXI which states, in pertinent part, an appropriation may not be in order as an amendment for an expenditure not previously authorized by law. Mr. Chairman, the authorization for this program has not been signed into law. The amendment, therefore, violates clause 2 of rule XXI, and I respectfully ask for a ruling.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Does the gentlewoman have a statement she would care to make in regard to the amendment?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. We have provisions in this bill that requires that the State to whom we give the money must send the money on to the localities within 30 days, and then 80 percent of the monies that we give to those States must be passed on to local units of government within 60 days. Those are provisions in our bill that we added in an attempt to force the money quickly to the community.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let me return the thanks. The gentleman from Pennsylvania has been our leader in the Congress for first responders, not just firefighters, but first responders in general; and he brings an expertise to this job not just from an educational point of view, but he is back there with them. So I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership on these issues and for bringing this very timely subject to our attention. Considering the devastation that wildfires cause to our Nation each year, I look forward to working with the gentleman during conference so that we can address this important matter.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. That is the way I understand the amendment. It would take $200 million away from all the States in order to beef up this cap from $500 million to $700 million just for the high-density/ high-urban area grants.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I hear the same thing every day.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. That is correct.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I would guess so. But there are not many ocean ports in Minneapolis, I do not think.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. That is correct.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. It goes to the so-called high-threat/high- density urban areas of the country, and I think they are talking probably of 20 cities or less, in the complete discretion of the Secretary.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Five hundred million.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. That is correct.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I would be happy to answer a question.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the distinguished gentleman for his very thoughtful comments and agree that the needs of older Americans and those with special needs should be addressed. I look forward to working with the gentleman on this important issue.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for his advocacy on behalf of the Coast Guard, and he has been a champion at that for his entire career in the Congress. While I cannot support his amendment, I do recognize the need to provide additional funding for Deepwater and for the administrative costs associated with the review and approval of the congressionally mandated facility and vessels security plans. I look forward to continuing to work with the gentleman from New Jersey to ensure adequate resources are made for these priorities in fiscal 2004.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney), who has been a member of the subcommittee who has been extremely helpful to us in this bill.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this is a historic day. Only 4 months after the Department of Homeland Security was stood up, we now consider in the Congress the very first ever Homeland Security appropriations bill on the House floor. The creation of the Department is by far the largest reorganization of the Federal Government in its history. Mr. Chairman, 180,000 employees, 22 security-related agencies merged into a single unit, agencies as diverse as the new Transportation Security Administration, FEMA, the Customs Service, the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, and some 18 other agencies throughout the government. But, Mr. Chairman, I want to spend a couple of minutes talking about the breadth of the problem that we face. On our borders, we have to protect ourselves: 2,000 miles of border with Mexico; 5,500 miles of border with Canada. There are 9,500 miles of shoreline. We have 157 ports of entry, 361 seaports. There are 440 million visitors who arrive in our country by land, sea, and air each year. There are 118 million vehicles that come here, 11 million of them trucks; 2.5 million railcars; and 17 million cargo containers that cross through our ports every year. In transportation, there are some 768,000 commercial flights that enter the U.S. at 429 commercial airports, carrying some 635 million passengers a year. We have 18,000 general aviation airports. We have 143,000 miles of freight railways, 3.9 million miles of highways, and 550 major public transportation systems throughout our country. There are 590,000 bridges. There are 526,000 interstate trucking companies, 43,000 of them certified to carry hazardous materials. We have 150 oil refineries, 86,000 miles of crude oil pipelines, 278,000 miles of natural gas pipelines. There are 66,000 chemical and hazardous materials plants. There are 1,800 Federal reservoirs. There are 9,300 power plants, including 104 nuclear, in our country. And then there are all sorts of high-target, high-risk symbols of our Nation. We are speaking from one even as I talk now: the Capitol. We have the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, the St. Louis Arch, the Golden Gate Bridge, and on and on and on, including some 463 skyscrapers in our land. I mention those facts, Mr. Chairman, to highlight the enormous challenge that we face as we begin to tackle our homeland security needs. Protecting American citizens from harm is the first and foremost duty of the Federal Government, and this awesome task largely falls upon the shoulders of the Department of Homeland Security. This bill, Mr. Chairman, provides $29.4 billion for the Department. That is an increase of just over $1 billion above what we were asked by the President, and $535 million more than the current-year levels. The bill recognizes that while the Department of Homeland Security has the lead in developing our national Homeland Security strategy, implementation of that strategy requires the active participation of State and local governments and the private sector. When it comes down to it, homeland security, Mr. Chairman, is essentially hometown security; and it requires the active engagement of all Americans and all branches of government. The bill before us today recognizes the role each stakeholder must play in this big mission. It funds not only the Department's first full year of operations, but also anticipated efforts of State and local governments and the private sector. As we debate this bill today, I urge my colleagues to remember everything that has been accomplished since September 11. While some might suggest that we are not doing enough, I would say we are making tremendous progress in our war on terror. The glass is not half empty; it is half full. Since September 11, we have provided $75.8 billion for homeland security funding across the entire government. For these 22 agencies that now make up the new Department of Homeland Security, we have provided $43.9 billion through fiscal year 2003; and in this bill, we add an additional $29.4 billion, bringing the total provided to the Department to $73.3 billion for fiscal years 2002 through 2004. Protecting the Nation's borders is our first line of defense against terrorism. We include in the bill a total of $9 billion for border protection and related activities. That is an increase of $400 million over the current enacted levels, including $2 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard homeland security activities. This bill makes innovative technology and capital investments a priority, recognizing that our borders will only be secure when we use a combination of people and technology. Since September 11, 5,400 inspectors, special agents, and Border Patrol agents have been added to our borders, increasing coverage at ports by 25 percent. An additional 4,100 Coast Guard personnel have been hired to protect our ports and our waterways, increasing the intensity and number of inspections at ports of entry. We will continue to inspect 100 percent of all high-threat cargo and high-threat vessels coming into our waters. We include $388 million for port security grants. The $100 million included in this bill is another down payment to secure critical port facilities, bringing the total funding since 9-11 to $488 million. Since September 11, we have provided $263 million for technology, including radiation detectors for our ports and nonintrusive inspection technologies for cargo screening. These technologies have been deployed at our busiest land and sea ports, including Miami, Los Angeles, and Newark; and in this bill we add another $129 million for those technologies, bringing the total since 9-11 to $392 million. We provide $60 million for the Customs Container Security Initiative, fully funding that effort since its inception. We include $62 million for that program, bringing the total funding to $122 million to support the participation of nearly all of the 20 foreign megaports from which we receive practically all of our cargo. This initiative targets high- threat cargo before it comes into our ports. We also place in the bill a high priority on funding our State and local first responders. I believe it is essential that our State and local governments have the resources to address the needs of our hometowns. We include $4.4 billion for our first responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency response personnel. And since September 11, Mr. Chairman, I want all of my colleagues to hear this: since September 11, the Congress has appropriated $20.8 billion in assistance to our State and local governments for terrorism prevention and preparedness. That, Mr. Chairman, is an increase of 1,000 percent before 9/11. Despite that significant investment, there are concerns about how and when this money gets to both State and local organizations. I agree in some instances it is taking too long for those funds to get there and the complex process is complicated and cumbersome. We tried to address that in this bill. I am optimistic that this issue will be addressed as part of the final bill that is sent to the President for his signature. Enhancing transportation security is a continuing concern. Since 9/11 we have provided a total of $10.38 billion for passenger safety through the Transportation Security Administration. Passenger screening, baggage screening, cargo screening, an additional $5.172 billion is included in this bill. Since September 11, $1.5 billion has been spent on explosive and trace detection systems, including the development, procurement and installation in our airports. We include in this bill an additional $335 million for the purchase and installation of these systems, as well as $50 million for air cargo safety and $40 million for research on next generation technologies at our airports. Science and technology are critical to improving security, increasing efficiency and reducing costs. We include $900 million for science and technology, including $60 million, Mr. Chairman, to design develop and test any missile devices for our commercial aircraft. Other funds are targeted at research, development and rapid deployment of innovative technologies that our universities and other public and private organizations are already developing. Lastly, the bill includes $5.6 billion over 10 years to encourage commercial development and production of medical countermeasures against bioterrorism, the so-called BioShield program. Funding in fiscal year 2004 is limited to $890 million. These funds will remove the barriers to develop next generation treatment for potential bioterror agents and will encourage the private sector to conduct the necessary research to counter bioterror threats. Mr. Chairman, the bill before us today is the first Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill ever considered by these bodies. I believe it presents a well-balanced approach to tackling the job ahead. It invests in people. We invest in technology. We invest in partnerships. It funds efforts to assess our vulnerabilities and capitalize on our assets. A lot of people would want us to spend tons and tons of more money, and believe me, if we thought it was useful to do so we would have no compunction against doing that. But there has got to be somewhere where we sensibly allocate our funds to our vulnerabilities and spend those dollars, but we should not spend money just for throwing it away. I believe this bill is responsible, and I urge my colleagues to support this historic measure. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and that I may include tabular and extraneous material on H.R. 2555.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Appropriations have until midnight Monday, June 23, 2003, to file a privileged report making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes.