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Implementing the 9/11 Commission Report for a Safer America
By Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Member of Congress
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September 1, 2007
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(Washington, DC) -- September 11, 2007 marks six years after one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.
It really is hard for me to believe that it has been six years. It is only when my twins, now eight, ask me to explain why we were attacked on 9/11, that I realize how much time has elapsed since that tragic day.
As a federal representative, I am reminded that the first responsibility of our government is the security of every American. It is for this reason that Congress created the independent and non-partisan 9/11 Commission to look into the tragedy of that day, but more importantly to ensure that a catastrophe of this magnitude would not happen again.
The 9/11 Commission submitted its recommendations to Congress in July of 2004. Their mission was to advise Congress and the President on how to better protect America from terrorism. Unfortunately, for more than two years those recommendations languished as the Republican-led Congress refused to adopt them.
When Democrats assumed control of Congress eight months ago, the first piece of legislation that we passed was H.R. 1, legislation adopting the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report. This legislation was signed into law by the President on August 3rd and represents a major step forward in protecting America from future terrorist attacks.
For example, in South Florida, we have two of the largest ports in the nation. The Port of Miami receives more than one million cargo containers each year and Port Everglades receives over half a million each year. One of the main vulnerabilities that the 9/11 Commission Report found was that the vast majority of cargo containers arriving at our nation’s ports are unscreened. The 9/11 Commission recommended that we screen 100% of cargo bound for the United States.
Prior to the passage of H.R. 1, the recommendation to screen this U.S. bound cargo had not been adopted, leaving roughly 95% of the cargo entering South Florida ports unscreened. The legislation we passed this year will result in the screening of 100% of U.S. bound maritime cargo containers within five years. Screening of cargo is possible without hampering commerce, for instance in Hong Kong two of the largest ports in the world screen 100% of their outbound cargo.
The legislation substantially improves our homeland security in other areas by:
- improving the communications capabilities of first responders by establishing a stand-alone communications interoperability grant program at the Department of Homeland Security, to ensure that our firefighters and police officers can communicate with each other in the event of an emergency. The bill authorizes $400 million a year for these new interoperability grants – for fiscal years 2009 through 2012.
- significantly increasing the share of state homeland security grants provided on the basis of risk;
- requiring screening of 100 percent of air cargo within three years - and if the Transportation Security Administration cannot meet this goal, it must provide classified briefings to Congress on its progress;
- withholding assistance to Pakistan for Fiscal Year 2008 until the President certifies that the Pakistani government is cracking down on the Taliban;
- significantly strengthening the Cooperative Threat Reduction (or Nunn-Lugar) Program; and creating a new National Bio-Surveillance Integration Center, which would support federal efforts to rapidly identify and track biological threats; and
- reducing the appeal of extremism by promoting quality educational opportunities, such as the Muslim Youth Opportunity Fund; restoring U.S. moral leadership around the world by investing in greater public diplomacy efforts; and developing long-term strategies, not focused on elections, to promote democracy and human rights.
In an era of unprecedented challenges to America’s security, our passage of legislation implementing the 9/11 Commission Report’s recommendations is an important step forward in protecting Americans from future terrorist attacks and in providing our first responders the tools they need to combat terrorism.
I am always glad to hear the comments and concerns of my constituents. If you have any questions or concerns or this or any other issue, please contact me in my Pembroke Pines office at (954) 437-3936, in Aventura at (305) 936-5724, or in Washington, D.C. at (202) 225-7931, or visit my Web site at www.house.gov/wassermanschultz and sign up for my electronic newsletter.
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