[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17591-17592]
[From the U.S. 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. 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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