[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9954-S9955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I want to add my thoughts to the debate
on the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill for fiscal
year 2004.
First, I want to take this opportunity to thank the distinguished
chairman and distinguished ranking member of the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Homeland Security for working so diligently on this
bill before us. These leaders had the difficult job of allocating a
very limited amount of money for one of the Nation's most pressing
needs and they have done an admirable job.
I also thank this Nation's first responders. They are the ones who
are on the front lines of this fight against terrorism. They are the
ones who will be the first to react to any future attack upon our
Nation. These brave men and women must, at a moment's notice, be ready
to respond to a host of possible horrifying scenarios, including those
involving nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical devices.
Congress has been working hard to support our first responders,
including providing almost $3.9 billion in this appropriations bill. I
am particularly pleased that the committee chose to maintain the
successful firefighter assistance grants and fund them at $750
[[Page S9955]]
million rather than the President's requested $500 million. I thank the
committee for their wisdom in this matter.
Although this bill does a lot to help our first responders, it does
not do enough. As my colleagues know, the Council on Foreign Relations
recently released the report of an independent task force chaired by
former Senator Warren B. Rudman. The title of this report says it all:
``Emergency Responders: Drastically Underfunded, Dangerously
Unprepared.'' I supported Senator Byrd and others in trying to address
the drastic underfunding of our first responders pointed out in the
Rudman Report and am disappointed that we in the Senate were unable to
do more.
I point out to my colleagues that I do not take lightly my decision
to vote in favor of spending more money. Fiscal responsibility is one
of my highest priorities and I constantly look for ways to limit
government spending. I am honored that the Concord Coalition and others
have recognized me for my efforts in this regard. Although fiscal
responsibility remains one of my highest priorities, the fight against
terrorism is also a high priority. I regret that the Republican budget
resolution did not provide adequate funding for homeland security,
choosing instead to place tax cuts as its highest priority. I agree
with the distinguished Senators from Connecticut and Michigan that we
ought to pay for increased funding in this bill by reviewing tax breaks
for those making over a million dollars. This is a reasonable way to
approach the current underfunding of this top priority.
I would like to draw attention to the fact that local first
responders, emergency preparedness professional associations, and
others have responded to the tragic events of 9/11 by re-examining
emergency response procedures, compiling lessons learned, and
developing new and innovative practices to best deal with possible
terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, the Rudman Report found that ``(T)he
task Force found insufficient national coordination of efforts to
systematically capture and disseminate best practices for emergency
responders.'' First responders in Wisconsin back up this finding.
The Department of Homeland Security is supposed to be gathering and
disseminating first responder best practices to all relevant parties. I
am concerned that they are not adequately fulfilling their
responsibility in this area. I understand that the newly formed
Department of Homeland Security has many important responsibilities and
is being pulled in many different directions. I am concerned, however,
that the Department is wasting an important opportunity to increase the
efficiency of our first responders. The Rudman Report recommends
establishing a national institute to collect and disseminate best
practices for first responders. This would ``allow all emergency
responders to learn from past experiences and improve the quality of
their efforts, thereby assuring taxpayers the maximum return on their
investment in homeland security.''
I offered an amendment directing the Department to report on its
efforts to assess and disseminate best practices and its plans for
improving the coordination and sharing of such information. This
amendment was designed to prompt the Department into action so that all
of us can reap the benefits of shared best practices. I am pleased that
the Senate adopted this amendment.
I am also concerned that in our hasty efforts to protect the homeland
we may be sacrificing some of our civil liberties. One item of
particular concern to me is the use of data-mining by the Department of
Homeland Security. Such programs give the Government the ability to
peer into virtually every facet of an individual's life, including
credit card use, bank statements, health records, and on and on.
Congress must make sure that civil liberties are being protected and so
must carefully monitor Government entities that may try to use data-
mining technology. I am pleased that the Senate adopted my amendment
requiring the Comptroller General to conduct a review and report to
Congress on the development and use of data-mining by the Department of
Homeland Security.
I will vote for this bill. This legislation includes many good
elements, such as the funds available for first responders. However, I
must also express my disappointment that funding for homeland security,
one of our highest priorities, is being forced to play second fiddle to
tax cuts. This is unacceptable and I hope we in Congress will soon
rectify this situation.
____________________