Senators Call on President Bush to Address Serious Concerns Raised in GAO Report on Terrorist Financing
SENATORS CALL ON PRESIDENT BUSH TO ADDRESS SERIOUS CONCERNS RAISED IN GAO REPORT ON TERRORIST FINANCING
Following the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today called on President Bush to address the "serious problems that continue to undermine our attempts to track, target, and cut off the flow of funds to terrorists."
The GAO report, which was requested by Durbin, along with Grassley and Collins, found that "The U.S. government lacks an integrated strategy to coordinate the delivery of counter-terrorism financing training and technical assistance to countries it deems vulnerable to terrorist financing."
In a letter to President Bush, the Senators urged the President to review the recommendations raised in the GAO report and "instruct the cabinet officers and agency heads to undertake needed changes and improve coordination of their efforts."
The Senators encouraged the President "to instruct the Secretaries of State and Treasury, in conjunction with the National Security Council and other relevant agencies, to develop and carry out an integrated strategic plan to coordinate the delivery of training and technical assistance to combat terrorist financing. Such a strategy should address the concerns raised above." Additionally, the Senators said that "a Memorandum of Agreement is needed to clarify roles, resolve disputes, and coordinate funding and resources for counter-terrorism financing and anti-money laundering training and technical assistance." In their letter to the President, the Senators cited the lack of progress since the GAO's last report on terrorist financing in 2003 and the apparent resistance within the executive departments to recognizing "the need for improved coordination mechanisms and an integrated strategic plan."
"The financing of terrorist activities is unquestionably a matter of critical national security, and we know that the coordination of our efforts has not been an easy task to undertake It is important that Congress knows how and when you will be implementing the GAO recommendations. Please provide this information by January 13, 2006," they concluded.
The reports can be seen by visiting the GAO website, www.gao.gov. The full text of the letter to President Bush appears below:
November 30, 2005
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, we initiated an inquiry with the Government Accountability Office (then still the General Accounting Office) into methods of terrorist financing. In 2003, having received a general overview from the GAO, we submitted a follow up request to address the effectiveness and coordination of U.S. efforts to combat terrorist financing in greater detail. We have now received the GAO's assessment of those efforts; its report points to serious problems that continue to undermine our attempts to track, target, and cut off the flow of funds to terrorists. We hope that you will review the GAO recommendations carefully and instruct the cabinet officers and agency heads to undertake needed changes and improve coordination of their efforts.
We are particularly concerned about the need to better coordinate U.S. efforts, to work more effectively with international partners, and to create a cohesive strategy to advance our goals. The urgent need to improve coordination and communication across agency and institutional lines was highlighted as well by the 9/11 Commission and congressional intelligence reform efforts as critical to improving security. In its report, the GAO found that, "The U.S. government lacks an integrated strategy to coordinate the delivery of counter-terrorism financing training and technical assistance to countries it deems vulnerable to terrorist financing." There appear to be inter-departmental disputes among the Departments of State, Justice, and Treasury over roles and leadership, disparities between actual needs and resources distribution, and a lack of systems to evaluate overall performance and incorporate those results into current and future planning efforts. Moreover, the GAO also reported shortfalls in accountability to Congress, including insufficiencies in annual reports and, again the absence of meaningful performance measures to assess effectiveness.
In its report, the GAO offered a number of recommendations which we respectfully urge you to implement. Specifically, we encourage you to instruct the Secretaries of State and Treasury, in conjunction with the National Security Council and other relevant agencies, to develop and carry out an integrated strategic plan to coordinate the delivery of training and technical assistance to combat terrorist financing. Such a strategy should address the concerns raised above. We also concur with the GAO that a Memorandum of Agreement is needed to clarify roles, resolve disputes, and coordinate funding and resources for counter-terrorism financing and anti-money laundering training and technical assistance. Performance measures are needed both to evaluate success and failure and to improve planning efforts. Reports to Congress need to include more complete information so that we can better fulfill our oversight responsibilities. We request that information on the status of the development and implementation of the integrated strategic plan and Memorandum of Agreement be included in reports to Congress from the Departments of Treasury and State.
We were disturbed by the apparent resistance from the Departments of State and Treasury, in particular, to many of the GAO's findings and recommendations. The tenor and comment of their responses indicate a general unwillingness on the part of the departments to recognize the need for improved coordination mechanisms and an integrated strategic plan. We find it disturbing that the 2003 GAO report cited above raised many concerns similar to the latest report. These recommendations are far too critical in achieving success in combating terrorist financing. We cannot simply continue to ignore these shortcomings that threaten our national security.
The financing of terrorist activities is unquestionably a matter of critical national security, and we know that the coordination of our efforts has not been an easy task to undertake. However, we strongly urge you to review and implement the recommendations outlined above and in the GAO report, as well as the 2003 GAO report so that we can combat this growing and persistent threat more effectively. It is important that Congress knows how and when you will be implementing the GAO recommendations. Please provide this information by January 13, 2006.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
Charles Grassley
United States Senator
Susan Collins
United States Senator
http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=249397&&