[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 132 (Tuesday, October 18, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2360, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. ALLYSON Y. SCHWARTZ

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Ms. SCHWARTZ of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the 2006 homeland security 
spending plan is something we must enact to sustain our ongoing efforts 
to protect the American people from harm. For that reason, I will 
support it. However, I have strong reservations with the bill.
  First, the Republican majority has attached a plan to fundamentally 
reorganize the Department of Homeland Security to this must-pass bill--
effectively forfeiting the oversight responsibility of the Congress. 
They are willingly making these sweeping changes, despite the fact that 
no meaningful hearings, discussions, or analyses have taken place on 
this proposal.
  My colleagues, there are many lessons to be learned from Hurricane 
Katrina that ought to be incorporated into any restructuring plan of 
our Department of Homeland Security. Yet, the Republican majority has 
not only failed to undertake a full investigation of what went wrong in 
the Gulf Region, but it is now denying Congress the opportunity to 
appropriately study or amend Secretary Chertoffs proposed changes--
which were submitted one month prior to the hurricane. This is wrong, 
and denies us the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the last 
few months so that we might do better in the future.
  Moreover, Mr. Speaker, while this bill represents an attempt to make 
up for some of the funding shortfalls in the President's fiscal year 
2006 homeland security budget--allocating $1.3 billion more for 
homeland security efforts this year than proposed by the 
Administration--it still does not adequately fund essential security 
initiatives that are needed to protect our citizens.
  Specifically, the measure cuts by $60 million funding for Firefighter 
Grants. It also fails to provide the level of funding needed to fully 
protect our Nation's ports which, according to the Coast Guard, will 
cost $4.8 billion.
  Our constituents are depending on us to keep them safe from harm and 
the nation free from terror. This bill fails to live up to our 
promise--and this Administration's promise--to provide real leadership 
in the face of real threats.
  Mr. Speaker, I will reluctantly vote for this measure because it 
would be irresponsible to cut off funding for our homeland security 
efforts altogether. But, from my seat on the Budget Committee, I will 
continue to work to ensure that Congress lives up to its responsibility 
to provide strong leadership and to meet the Nation's security needs.

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