U.S. Response:  Congress Approves $28.9 Billion to Combat Terrorism

The Senate yesterday approved a $28.9 billion supplemental funding bill largely dedicated to the war on terrorism, following House approval Tuesday.  President George W. Bush is expected to sign the legislation (see GSN, July 24).

Congressional approval for the bill, which includes funds for the Pentagon, New York recovery and FBI upgrades, ended four months of disagreement over the funding amount.  An earlier Senate version had provided more than $30 billion, but the White House threatened to veto.

The money is for the remaining fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, but most of the funds will not be spent until later, according to the Associated Press.  The bill is the second piece of legislation to provide major funding for anti-terrorism efforts since the Sept. 11 attacks.  Congress approved $40 billion in the weeks shortly after the attacks (Associated Press/Miami Herald, July 25).

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Threat Assessment:  Canada Designates Seven Terrorist Groups

Canada has officially designated seven Islamic militant groups, including al-Qaeda, as terrorist organizations, the Toronto Star reported yesterday (see GSN, June 14).

Under the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act, which Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, signed into law Tuesday, the following seven terrorist groups have been added to the Canadian Criminal Code:  al-Qaeda, Armed Islamic Group, Salafist Group for Call and Combat, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Vanguards of Conquest, al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) and al-Ittihad al-Islam (Tonda MacCharles, Toronto Star, July 24).

Canadian officials did not say whether any of the named organizations are known to be active within Canada, according to the National Post.  Anyone discovered to be working with any of the seven named groups could be sentenced to up to life in prison, the Post reported.

“People might happen to be dealing with these entities and not be aware that they are terrorist groups,” said Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay.  “What we’re saying today is these are terrorist groups.  They’re listed under the Criminal Code.  If you deal with them, assist them in any way, you’re breaking the law and we’re going to come after you” (Bill Curry, National Post, July 24).

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U.S. Response:  House Passes $28.9 Billion Anti-Terrorism Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a compromise bill to provide more funds for the war on terrorism and efforts to recover from the Sept. 11 attacks (see GSN, July 16; Alan Fram, Associated Press/Boston Globe, July 24).

The House passed the legislation, a $28.9 billion fiscal 2002 supplemental funding bill, by a 397-32 vote.  Analysts expected the Senate to act on the legislation today (CongressDaily, July 24).

Half of the funds in the bill would go to the war on terrorism, and the rest would fund a variety of programs including New York recovery efforts, federal aviation safety programs, local emergency agencies and aid for anti-terrorism allies, the Associated Press reported.  The money is to be spent in the remaining part of the federal fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

“This bill is critical to winning the war on terrorism,” Representative Randy Cunningham (R-Calif.) said.

The House-Senate compromise on the legislation ended a four-month dispute over the bill’s size.  The White House in March requested a cap of $27.1 billion, but Senate legislation increased the funds to $31.5 billion.  The White House threatened to veto any bill that spent more than the House version (see GSN, June 5).

Legislators decided not to fight the president, according to the Associated Press.  They agreed to compromise as the fiscal year drew to an end and the Defense Department and Transportation Security Administration said they were having trouble acquiring sufficient funds (Fram, Associated Press/Boston Globe).

The compromise legislation includes:

*         $14.5 billion for defense and intelligence;

*         $6.7 billion for domestic security, including $3.85 billion for the Transportation Security Administration, $528 million for the Coast Guard (see GSN, July 2), $175 million for the FBI (see GSN, May 29), $151 million for first responders (see GSN, April 24), $33 million for animal and plant health inspections and $158 million for protecting nuclear weapons facilities;

*         $2.1 billion for foreign aid and diplomacy, including $200 million for Israel, $50 million for humanitarian aid to Palestinians, $35 million for Colombia, up to $134 million for Afghanistan, up to $12 million for Indonesia and $55 million in military aid for the Philippines;

*         $5.5 billion for New York, including $1.8 billion to rebuild transportation systems and $783 million for economic redevelopment.  Combined with previous funds, the bill fulfills Bush’s pledge to provide $20 billion to New York (Associated Press/Washington Post, July 24).

The bill also funds several projects that would benefit specific constituents and are unrelated to anti-terrorism efforts, according to the Associated Press.  For example, $10 million will help farmers involved in a water dispute with Mexico and $6 million will go to upgrade a U.S. Geological Survey center in South Dakota.  In addition, the bill includes $1 billion for Pell grants for low-income students, $205 million for Amtrak and $200 million for combating AIDS and other diseases outside the United States.  The bill also would restrict U.S. participation in the International Criminal Court.

The bill includes language that would allow Colombia to use U.S. aid to fight against certain “terrorist organizations,” expanding on current legislation that restricts U.S. funds to fighting against drugs.

Legislators included $3 billion in savings from government administrative costs, unused housing assistance and other programs to lower the bill’s total expenditures.  The bill would also allow the president to withhold $5 billion included in the provisions (Fram, Associated Press/Boston Globe).

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U.S. Response:  Bush Urges Flexibility for New Department

By Keith Koffler and Mark Wegner

CongressDaily

WASHINGTON — Accusing congressional appropriators of standing in the way, President George W. Bush yesterday demanded that Congress approve the sweeping new freedom of action he had requested for a new Homeland Security secretary, declaring that “new times” require “new thinking” about congressional restraints on administration activities (see GSN, July 22).  The president’s call for Congress to grant the secretary unique new prerogatives has drawn strong resistance from some lawmakers.

“The new secretary needs the ability to move money and resources quickly to respond to true threats,” Bush said during a speech to workers at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Ill. (see GSN, July 22).  “I understand why that may not happen sometimes in Washington ... appropriators may not want the executive branch to have the capacity to make decisions necessary to make the homeland department work effectively.”

The president also repeated his demand that the secretary be allowed to waive certain civil service labor protections.

“The new secretary of Homeland Security must have the freedom and the flexibility to be able to get the right people in the right jobs at the right time so we can hold people accountable,” Bush said.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer today indicated there is no change in Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta’s contention that the administration could institute new baggage screening procedures by the end of the year, as originally mandated by Congress.  But Fleischer did not rule out the administration taking advantage of the increased breathing room if Congress extends the deadline.

“No matter what the law is, the administration will enforce it,” he said.

The House Homeland Security Committee in its markup of legislation Friday agreed to extend the deadline until Dec 31, 2003.  Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Transportation and Infrastructure ranking member James Oberstar (D-Minn.) plan to offer an amendment that would reinstate the year-end deadline.  During an appearance Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) said airports will not be able to meet the deadline.

“This is just a simple matter of being realistic and coming to terms with the reality of the situation,” he said.  “There’s no risk that is more serious nor insidious than the risk of a false sense of security of believing your bags were screened by technology that simply is not reliable.”

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U.S. Response:  House Panel Approves Homeland Security Bill

The House Select Committee on Homeland Security voted 5-4 Friday to approve legislation to create a homeland security department (see GSN, July 18).  The full House of Representatives is expected to consider the legislation as early as Wednesday.

The bill generally adheres to the Bush administration’s proposal for the department, according to the Washington Post.  The legislation would transfer 22 U.S. agencies — including the Coast Guard, Customs Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the enforcement arm of the Immigration and Naturalization Service — to the new department (see GSN, July 12).

One area of contention for the committee was a Dec. 31 deadline for airports to inspect every passenger’s baggage for explosives, according to the Post.  While airport executives have said they could not meet the deadline for installing the needed technology, Democrats on the committee were against the extension.

“When the next bombs explode on an airplane, I don’t want to look those families in the eye and say we were waiting for some new kind of technology,” said New Jersey Democrat Robert Mendez (Miller/Eilperin, Washington Post, July 20).

Many members of the House, including Democrats on the committee who voted against the bill, said they expected it to receive bipartisan support, the Post reported.

“As long as there’s a fair process, I think the bill will pass, and probably with a very large vote,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Martin Frost (D-Texas).

Representative Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), who has criticized the Bush administration’s plan for the department, said there is probably little that would hinder the bill’s speedy approval in the full House (see GSN, July 15).

“Some days I feel the creation of this Homeland Security Department is like a boulder rushing down the mountain, accumulating more moss and rocks and pebbles, and nobody wants to stand in front of it to change or stop it,” he said (Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post, July 21).

Senate

The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is expected to finish drafting the Senate version of homeland security department legislation by Wednesday, the Post reported.  Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) has released recommendations that generally follow the White House proposal.  Lieberman, however, wants to give the proposed department more access to intelligence information (Miller/Eilperin, Washington Post).

Senate Democrats have indicated they plan to challenge the White House only on small details of the proposed homeland security department and not the bulk of the plan, the Post reported.

“It’s hard to find a member of Congress who’s against creating a department of homeland security,” Lieberman said.  “I haven’t found one.”

Some senators, however, have said that Congress is moving too fast in attempting to complete work on the proposed department by the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the Post.  Congress might be giving too much power to the executive branch, said Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.).

“We’re scared to death and here we are, rushing a massive reorganization into effect,” Byrd said.  “In the meantime, who’s watching the store?” (Eilperin, Washington Post).

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