Barbara Lee Condemns DHS for Complete Neglect of Security at Port of Oakland
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) today announced a meeting with Port of Oakland officials to determine the extent of the damage to regional security resulting from the refusal of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund any part of the Port’s request for security funds.
“To zero out the security funding request for the fourth largest port in the United States at a time when we face intensified terrorist threats due to the war in Iraq is tantamount to gross negligence and dereliction of duty by the Bush Administration,” said Lee. “The administration has not only put us all at greater risk through their war of choice in Iraq, but they refuse to spend the money necessary to help us face the resulting additional terrorist threat.”
Lee will hold a meeting with Port Security officials this coming Tuesday, and will join other members of the California Congressional delegation will be meeting with DHS officials Friday.
Earlier this week, Lee joined other members of the California Congressional delegation in writing to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, expressing shock and astonishment that DHS provided no port security funding at all for the Port of Oakland.
“It is a testament to the misplaced priorities of the Bush administration when it comes to making our nation safe that they are spending almost $2 billion a week on a war in Iraq, but can’t spare a dollar to keep us safe here at home,” said Lee.
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Text of the letter:
September 26, 2006
The Honorable Michael Chertoff
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Chertoff,
As Members who understand the critical importance of the Port of Oakland and Port of San Francisco, we write to you in astonishment that the ports did not receive funds under the Fiscal Year 2006 Port Security Grant Program.
The Port of Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the nation and the Pacific Coast gateway to the Asian markets. The security needs of the Port of Oakland are not only important to the Bay Area, but also are significantly important to the nation’s economy. Indeed, in 2005, the port processed over 2.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo. This represents an 11.2 % increase over 2004 levels. Not only is the port a vital engine of the economy, but it is planning on expanding to meet growing demand for its services. The Port of San Francisco is a significant commercial and tourist hub for the West Coast and supports the activities of millions of visitors each year.
The most recent round of Port Security grant funds demonstrates your agency’s continued ignorance of the needs of our nation’s ports. We have long called for DHS to develop a credible threat-based formula that would allocate homeland security funds to protect our critical infrastructure. There is no logical explanation for your decision not to protect one of the busiest ports in the nation. We are all the more concerned about your threat analysis, as in recent months it has led you to identify the Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo in Huntsville, Alabama as a vulnerable national asset, but failed to list the Empire State Building in the same category.
While we understand the Administration’s recent budget requests have left your agency without the funds to begin addressing America’s most critical security needs, we insist that you design a system which adequately addresses the security needs of national assets like the Ports of Oakland and San Francisco. Anything less will leave our nation’s security and economy at great risk. We ask that you reconsider this decision. We look forward to your timely response, which should also include an explanation of your analysis that left the Ports of Oakland and San Francisco unfunded in this round of grants and your plans to continue to improve the security of these ports.
Sincerely,
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Ellen Tauscher Nancy Pelosi Dianne Feinstein Barbara Boxer
Member of Congress Minority Leader U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Barbara Lee George Miller Pete Stark Tom Lantos
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Mike Honda Zoe Lofgren Anna Eshoo Lynn Woolsey
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress