[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 110 (Friday, September 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9229-S9230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SECURITY
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, with passage of the Department of Defense
appropriations yesterday, we took another major step forward making
America safer and more secure. We hit a few bumps and distractions
along the way, but the end result was passing the Defense
appropriations bill. Under the tremendous leadership of the President
pro tempore, who is occupying the chair, we passed a bill that makes
America, and continues to make America, safer and more secure. We
helped to bring to our troops the cutting-edge technologies and
resources that they need and will continue to need in fighting the war
against terror.
It is important to share with our colleagues and the American people
that in these appropriations bills, pending bills that are coming to
the Senate, we are addressing a lot of issues that are not the
principal focus of the bill but are very important issues to address,
issues of concern and focus of the American people. I refer to an
element of border security.
Most Members, as we traveled around the country and through our
States over the last several weeks and during August, heard again and
again that the American people expect us to focus on security at our
perimeter, at our border, and at our ports. We are on the port security
bill today.
In addition, it is important to note, for border security interests,
over the past 2 years we have made huge progress in funding initiatives
along our border, as reflected in the bills, the Homeland Security
appropriations bill and the bill we passed yesterday, the Department of
Defense appropriations bill. If we examine the last 2 years, we see how
much progress, indeed, has been made for the border. We have added
3,736 new Border Patrol agents, for a total of 14,555. We have added in
these bills 9,150 new detention beds, for a total of 27,500.
We have added, in these bills, 370 miles of border security fencing
and added 461 miles of vehicle barriers along that Southwest border. We
have added $682 million for border tactical infrastructure and
facilities construction.
As for detention personnel, we have added 1,373 detention personnel,
for a total of over 5,500. People ask about Customs and Border
Protection officers. Indeed, we have added 460 new Customs and Border
Protection officers for seaport inspections, for a total of 18,321
officers at ports of entry.
For the Coast Guard, in these bills, we have added $7.5 billion for
the Coast Guard maritime border security, including $4 billion for
Coast Guard port security and $2.1 billion for deepwater assets.
I mention these figures and this data because that is what we have
done over the last 2 years in the supplemental bill, the Homeland
Security bill, and the Department of Defense appropriations bill.
In fact, spending on border and immigration enforcement has increased
from less than $4 billion prior to 9/11 to over $16 billion today--a
fourfold increase. Catch and release has been ended. Apprehensions are
up along the border by 45 percent. We are acting. We are funding. We
are controlling the borders. We have a long way to go, but we are
delivering on border security.
Security and safety are not static states. They are dynamic, which
means we must constantly take steps, which we are doing on the floor to
bolster them.
Earlier this year, I took a trip to the west coast and toured the
Long Beach Port in southern California. It was amazing. I took an
aerial tour, talked to all of the people there from security to the
people handling the containers. Over 13,000--13,000--containers come
through that one port every day. It is the largest port in the country.
It is the third largest in the world.
It is not far from Los Angeles or LAX where 62 million passengers
pass through annually. To say the least, this part of the country is a
major front on the battle to protect our ports from terrorist attacks.
I am delighted we did turn to the port security bill last night. We
have much to do over the next several days--with opening statements
made last night and over the course of the day.
The bill before us now will provide the structure and resources
necessary to strengthen our seaport vulnerabilities and better protect
the American people from attack that might occur through those ports.
It addresses security throughout the international cargo supply chain--
from factory gate in a foreign country to screening in the U.S. port of
final destination.
The U.S. maritime system includes more than 300 sea and river ports,
with more than 3,700 cargo and passenger terminals. More than 95
percent of all U.S. overseas trade, excluding trade with Mexico and
Canada, arrives by ship. The top 50 ports in the United States account
for about 90 percent of all cargo tonnage, and 25 U.S. ports account
for 98 percent of all container shipments.
Most of the 60,000 U.S. port calls made each year are foreign owned
and crewed. Less than 3 percent of U.S. overseas trade is carried on
U.S.-flagged vessels.
What all this means is that ports are a significant choke point for
an enormous amount of economic activity for this country. In and of
themselves, they, therefore, represent an attractive target for
terrorists.
Equally significant is that ports clearly facilitate the
transportation of something from one place to another. Goods arrive at
and depart through these ports--by ship, by rail, by truck--so it is
not inconceivable that terrorists could use ports as a conduit to
smuggle into this country.
Just imagine the damage if a terrorist smuggled a dirty bomb in a
cargo container off a ship calling on a U.S. port. Once unloaded, it
could be transferred to a waiting tractor-trailer or train and from
there target anywhere in this country.
Just imagine if terrorists seized control of a large commercial cargo
ship and used it as a collision weapon for destroying a bridge or
refinery on the waterfront.
Imagine the damage if terrorists sank a large commercial cargo ship
in a major shipping channel, thereby blocking all traffic to and from
that port.
These are not pipedreams. They are legitimate threats. Remember when
the USS Cole was attacked by a bomb-laden boat during a refueling stop
in Yemen? Had that occurred in a U.S. port, not only would the port of
calling be shut down but very likely officials would halt the entire
U.S. maritime transportation system, as they did in the days
immediately following 9/11.
[[Page S9230]]
Studies suggest that such a disruption in trade would reverberate
throughout the country, costing billions of dollars.
The 9/11 Commission--if we look back at their recommendations--
concluded that ``opportunities to do harm are as great, or greater, in
maritime and surface transportation'' as in commercial aviation. That
is why we have elected to bring this bill to the floor of the Senate.
That is why the bill before us is so very important. It provides the
Department of Homeland Security with the additional authorities and
vital tools necessary to improve maritime security and to foil plots to
injure or destroy our ports, to the detriment of our people and to the
detriment of our economy.
Effective port security is a critical component of national security.
And the bill before us now is a critical component of effective port
security.
I look forward to a thoughtful and engaging debate over the next
several days and do hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this
very important piece of legislation.
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