Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague, the gentleman from Texas and ranking member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security, Mr. Turner, for this timely Special Order.  There is no more important issue facing us in Congress than protecting the freedom and security of the American people. 

I was deeply honored when Leader Pelosi asked me to serve on the Select Committee on Homeland Security.  It is a responsibility I take very seriously, and I am eager to embrace the challenges confronting us.

We have an incredibly important obligation to our first responders across the country, and we must make their needs a top priority.  Firefighters, law enforcement officers, health care workers, and others on the front lines, need our support to keep America safe.  With dozens of states experiencing their worst fiscal crises since World War II, combined with the activation of thousands of Guard and Reserve members, first responders are more desperate than ever for federal assistance. 

In addition, we are faced with significant unmet needs in the areas of port security, nuclear and chemical plant security, border security and more.  Mayors and governors nationwide are faced with soaring costs as they seek to meet their obligations under a heightened threat alert and the newly-implemented Operation Liberty Shield.

I was deeply disappointed to learn that yesterday, during the Supplemental Appropriations mark-up, Republicans voted down Mr. Obey's amendment to add $2.5 billion in homeland security funding.  This funding is absolutely critical if we are to live up to our promises to the American people.  The amendment would have meant an additional $3 million in first responder funding for my home state of Rhode Island, money that is sorely needed to equip our state and local governments to fight the domestic front of our war on terror.

Another area of special interest to me is intelligence, and I am honored to be serving as interim Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism.  In this capacity, I hope to turn the Committee's attention to some critical issues facing Congress as the new Department of Homeland Security gets up and running.

One of the most important things we must address is the issue of integration and cooperation among the different intelligence agencies - we need to know how DHS is receiving and analyzing information, what kind of intelligence the agency is getting, whether the process is efficient and streamlined, and whether DHS and the rest of the intelligence community understand their roles and obligations to each other clearly enough to make sure there is neither too much overlap, nor too much falling through the cracks.

Along these lines, it is absolutely critical that we look at the relationship between the President's proposed Terrorist Threat Integration Center and the DHS Information Analysis Directorate. Their roles sound strikingly similar to me, and it has not been made at all clear how they will interrelate and work together.

In addition, we must ensure that our state and local law enforcement agencies are properly equipped to share information and coordinate activities so that threats that cross jurisdictional lines can be adequately addressed. 

Finally, as we endeavor to identify threats before they become real dangers, we must be ever vigilant of the civil liberties of our citizens.  Protecting the homeland does not need to run counter to protecting privacy and freedom.  We should make sure that intelligence tools are used judiciously, and we must work always towards a balance that ensures both security and liberty.

Again, I want to thank Mr. Turner for hosting this Special Order and urge my colleagues to make homeland security a priority both in words and in deeds.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.