Date: 2011-06-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the ranking member. I think its important. I listened to the gentleman. Mr. ADERHOLT. list a lot of numerical and factual points about personnel. Let me be very clear. as Senator LIEBERMAN said. all of our systems need to be on high alert and all of our citizens need to be on high alert as we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It is clear. Mr. Chairman. and my colleagues. that something is awry with al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is interested in transportation modes. and theyre interested in our rail systems. They have already done Mumbai. they have done London. and they have done Madrid. and therefore. they are looking at the United States. No. we dont have specifics. but we do have the potential of our rail lines crossing America being ripe targets for al Qaeda. This is a very small amount that would allow us to have surface inspectors who are truly crucial to the protection of the Nations mass transit. freight. and longdistance rail. Every State is impacted. from New Hampshire to Florida. from the Midwest to the West. Texas. Houston has as its city insignia a rail. Why? Because trains crisscross our community. Therefore. I think it behooves us to be bipartisan and to actually support an amendment that provides a cushion of protection and a cushion and an armor. if you will. against the thoughts and the mindsets of al Qaeda. Yes. they are franchised. they are splintered. but that makes it all the easier for them to find their way here to the United States. I remind my colleagues that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I ask my colleagues to consider the small investment it would take to be able to secure the Nations railways. And as a member of the Homeland Security Committee. the authorizing committee. I can assure you that we are seeing these kinds of threats in terms of the vastness of our system. and we need to be able to protect our system. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chair. I rise before you and my colleagues to take the opportunity to explain my amendment to H.R. 2017. "Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30. 2012. and for other purposes." My amendment would increase the Transportation Security Administrations (TSA) Surface Transportation Securitys account by $5 million and restore funding for this account at the Presidents submitted request. offset by reducing the Office of the Under Secretary for Management. and Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing (TTAC). Since the demise of Osama bin Laden. it has come to light that alQaeda had ambitious plans to launch an attack against our Nations mass transit systems and their riders. our constituents. Now more than ever. we must ensure that our mass transit and surface transportation is secure by developing riskbased policies and programs that devote appropriate resources to securing these systems against terrorist attack. This amendment would increase the Surface Transportation Security account at TSA by $5 million. bringing the account in line with the Presidents request for FY 2012. In Washington terms. $5 million may not sound like much. but it is a critical increase to the Surface Transportation Security account at TSA. which has historically been underfunded. This account funds front line homeland security personnel in the form of surface transportation inspectors who. in addition to reviewing regulatory compliance. consult with transit agencies and rail companies in improving security infrastructure and operational protocols. Surface inspectors also help disseminate best practices to transit and rail entities across the Nation. This is a smart investment at a critical time for surface transportation security. To fund this increase. my amendment reduces $2.5 million from the Transportation Threat and Credentialing program and $2.5 million from the Office of the Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security. Both of these programs are well fundedTTAC at $183 million and the Under Secretarys office at $234 million. This is a wise decision at this time to help our communities address and mitigate the terrorist threat to our local transit systems. as well as for improving security for passenger and freight rail. All of our communities and constituents are serviced by some form of surface transportation or mass transit. and as we have seen abroad. this mode of transportation is vulnerable to terrorist attack. We must be vigilant in recognizing the threat. make wise investment in security. and collaborate with industry stakeholders to secure this transportation mode that is essential to our economy and way of life. Mr. Chair. I ask my colleagues to support my amendment.