Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - October 06, 2005)

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today, on behalf of myself and Senators WARNER and COBURN, to introduce a bill establishing an Under Secretary for Policy within the Department of Homeland Security. This legislation would meet a critical need of the Department: an official at the highest level of the Department to develop coherent strategies and provide comprehensive policy guidance for responding to the full range of threats to our homeland.

This past spring, soon after being confirmed as the second Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary Chertoff conducted a top-to-bottom review of the Department. As Secretary Chertoff said at the launch of this ``Second Stage Review,'' the Congress created the Department of Homeland Security ``to do more than simply erect a big tent under which a lot of different organizations would be collected.'' Instead, the purpose of the Department is to integrate the capabilities and achieve unity of effort among a wide range of agencies and entities that are involved in protecting our homeland.

In July, Secretary Chertoff announced the results of the ``Second Stage Review'' and proposed several organizational changes aimed at further integrating the Department's many components. Chief among these proposed changes was the creation of a Senate-confirmed Under Secretary with responsibility for policy development across the Department.

Thus, in keeping with Secretary Chertoff's proposal, this legislation would create an Under Secretary for Policy who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. This Under Secretary would serve as the Secretary's principal policy advisor and enable the Department to develop comprehensive policies and strategies--across all of the Departments' components--to meet homeland security challenge. The Under Secretary's responsibilities would cover four key areas: policy development, strategic planning, international affairs, and private sector outreach. The policy development and strategic planning functions are new, while the international affairs and private sector outreach functions are transferred from other parts of the Department in order to consolidate the full range of policy-level functions under this Under Secretary.

We need no better reason to take up this bill than the tragic events of a month ago. Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster, but the devastation, suffering, and deprivation left in the wake of this powerful storm were compounded by the failure of all levels of government--local, State, and Federal--to prepare and respond in a unified, integrated way. Moreover, the capabilities needed to have dealt with Hurricane Katrina are in many instances the same capabilities that are needed to protect America from terrorism.

The governmental failures highlighted by Hurricane Katrina are evidence of the need for greater integration and unity of effort within the Department. At the heart of this integration, the Department needs a stronger emphasis on policy development and strategic planning to meet the full range of threats to our homeland. Creating an Under Secretary for Policy is a critical step for ensuring that our government has a truly capable Department of Homeland Security.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill establishing an Under Secretary for Policy within the Department of Homeland Security be printed in the RECORD.

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