The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 changed the way Americans looked upon the federal government to keep them safe from harm. During the Cold War era, Americans found peace of mind in a superior military infrastructure. At the turn of the 21st century, America's way of life is under attack from an underground network of extremists and evildoers intent on spreading hate and fear among Western Civilization. Now, Americans are counting on the armed forces to root out terrorism and on federal border patrol agents, customs officers, and airport screeners to thwart terrorists from their next attack.
Immediately after the tragic attacks more than a year ago, President Bush declared war on terrorism. Yet I'm not so sure Americans fully appreciate the scope of the battle. On a frontier fraught with suicide hijackers in America, hostage-takers in Russia and bombers in Bali, the well-financed terrorist network reaches every corner of the Earth. Meanwhile, the U.S. faces unprecedented threats to its national security, economic stability, public health and welfare of the homeland.
And if you consider the ongoing instability in the Middle East, the showdown with Iraq and the possibility of nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, it would appear the United States is smack dab in the middle of a hornet's nest.
That's why it's so important to put partisanship aside and take action that will address bumbling bureaucracies and turf battles that hinder national security and homeland protection.
In November, Congress approved the largest reorganization of the federal government in nearly 50 years to mitigate and prevent the threats of the 21st century. The president signed into law the new Department of Homeland Security that is charged with planning, coordinating and implementing initiatives aimed at securing the homeland, including Border and Transportation Security; Emergency Preparedness and Response; Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Countermeasures, and Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection.
America has no choice but to strengthen our national security. Putting federal agencies bearing various responsibilities for homeland security under one roof is a step in the right direction. As a senior lawmaker in the U.S. Senate, I worked to include provisions that would keep the massive new federal department, with a 170,000-person workforce, accountable and effective.
At my insistence, the new Department of Homeland Security will extend whistleblower protections to each and every employee, without exception. Iowa native and veteran FBI agent Colleen Rowley underscores why whistleblowers deserve protection and freedom from retaliation to help keep bureaucracies accountable and on their toes.
The Department of Homeland Security also will restructure the beleaguered Immigration and Naturalization Service to improve the agency's service and enforcement functions.
I worked to improve the process by which visas are issued. An ongoing investigation by federal auditors has found 105 people believed to be suspected terrorists received visas and an unknown number of them are presumed to be in the country. It appears the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. When it comes to terrorists, that's unacceptable. Changes to the system will help avoid risky programs like the one that allowed terrorists in the country without adequate screening. To that end, a provision I advanced in the homeland security bill authorizes Department of Homeland Security agents at every facility where visas are issued. If no agent is posted at a particular post, the cabinet secretary must report annually to Congress explaining why one is not needed. From my senior position on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I'll be keeping close watch on the transformation of the INS.
As the incoming chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I also will exercise rigorous oversight of the U.S. Customs Service to make sure its critical trade functions aren't sidelined by its enforcement duties. Beefing up homeland security can't exclude economic security and the Customs Service serves a key role in stimulating prosperous trade relations. In another housekeeping initiative, I'm pleased the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was split to transfer firearms and explosives experts to the Justice Department, where they will work alongside their counterparts at the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency. Revenue-collections experts and auditors will stay at the Treasury Department.
Changing letterheads and transferring 22 agencies and 170,000 workers under one roof won't make terrorism disappear overnight. I wish the federal government could wave a magic wand that would guarantee not one more civilian life would be lost or harmed by terrorists. The Department of Homeland Security ought to help our intelligence and law enforcement entities read from the same page. What's more, state and local authorities now will have one point of contact to go to for homeland security issues. Opening the lines of communication, breaking down bureaucratic barriers and coordinating our resources in a team effort ought to improve our ability to mitigate the risks from future attacks.