Mr. Speaker, today I rise to ask all Members to fully fund the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office within the Department of Homeland Security.  My amendment will add $36 million to the DNDO, for a total of $536 million, the amount requested by the President.  My amendment would increase the funding to the amount authorized by the SAFE PORTS Act, which passed this House just a few weeks ago by the overwhelming margin of 421-2.

The DNDO was created within the Department of Homeland Security to develop, acquire, and deploy the global nuclear detection architecture to prevent nuclear material from being smuggled into our country. The office coordinates with a variety of public and private sector organizations, including the Departments of Defense, Energy, and State, the FBI, and state, tribal, and local governments.  The office is jointly staffed by experts from many of these agencies. 

As the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on the Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack, I am kept awake at night by the fear that a terrorist could smuggle nuclear material across our borders to detonate a bomb in one of our cities. These radiation detectors are our last, best chance to prevent a catastrophic nuclear or radiological attack, and our intelligence analysts tell us that the threat is very real. The DNDO is already in the process of deploying radiation detectors at our border crossings, ports, and other points of entry.  They have a goal of deploying more than 3,000 of these detectors by 2009.  But, I believe the risk is too great to wait until 2009.  Worse yet, a recent GAO report stated that DNDO could not even meet the 2009 goal without additional funding. 

An additional $36 million will help speed the development and deployment of radiation portal monitors, handheld and mobile radiation detectors, and next generation advanced spectroscopic portals, which all provide a varying range of detection capability.  I have great faith in the DNDO, but they need sufficient resources to complete their vital mission.

Every year, we spend more than $9 billion on missile defense.  Surely we can spend an additional $36 million to prevent nuclear smuggling, which intelligence analysts insist is a greater threat.  Earlier this afternoon, I had the opportunity to question Vayl Oxford, President Bush’s appointee to direct the DNDO, at our Subcommittee hearing.  He indicated that without full funding, DNDO would have to scale back valuable short and long-term research and development projects that will lead to next generation radiation detection equipment, which will be faster and more accurate.

My amendment is offset by reducing the Office of Secretary and Executive Management by $3 million and the Office of the Undersecretary for Management by $33 million. The threat of nuclear smuggling is too important to ignore. I ask my colleagues to join me in fully funding the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to develop and deploy detectors before we miss our opportunity to prevent nuclear materials from entering our country, and ultimately, allow us to save lives.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I yield back the balance of my time.