Issue Position: Homeland Security

Issue Position

The first responsibility of our government is the security of every American. In this era of unprecedented and unpredictable dangers, we must be prepared for any threat. As a member of the House Subcommittee that oversees National Security and Emerging Threats, Congressman Lynch has been a leader in efforts to assess and improve America's homeland security readiness. In particular, Congressman Lynch has focused on threats to our surface and maritime transportation--particularly our rails and ports.

"The high-profile terrorist attacks on passenger rail and subways in Mumbai, London, Moscow, and Madrid should serve as wake-up calls for many of us on the issue of rail security," Lynch said. "But the fact is that between 1997 and 2000, there were more than 195 attacks on transit systems around the world. We cannot afford to leave America's rails vulnerable to attack."

Since September 11th, the U.S. has spent over $22 billion on securing our airports and airplanes. However, we have spent less than 3 percent ($550 million) of that amount on rail security, despite the fact that five times more Americans travel by train every year than fly on airplanes. For this reason, Congressman Lynch has made the improvement of rail security a priority in Congress.

For instance, Congressman Lynch hosted a Rail Security Summit in Boston attended by security experts, rail employees, and local elected officials; introduced legislation to add $5 billion towards rail security enhancements; and authored an amendment passed by the House of Representatives which increased funding for rail security in 2007 by $50 million.

Additionally, as a Member of Congress representing the Port of Boston in the House of Representatives, Congressman Lynch has worked tirelessly on the issue of port security. Nationwide, the Coast Guard has estimated that approximately $7 billion in funding would be required for port infrastructure and operating improvements to enhance port security. However, despite the vulnerability of U.S. seaports to acts of terrorism, since 9/11, we have spent less than $1 billion on port security. For this reason, Congressman Lynch has supported efforts to increase federal funding for port security and believes that Congress should implement the bipartisan 9/11 Commission proposal to secure America's ports and screen 100% of container vessels.

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