Press Conference - Upcoming Senate Hearings on the 9/11 Commission Report

Federal News Service

HEADLINE: PRESS CONFERENCE WITH SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME), CHAIR OF THE SENATE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE; AND SENATOR JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT)

TOPIC: UPCOMING SENATE HEARINGS ON THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT LOCATION: THE CAPITOL, THE SENATE RADIO/TV GALLERY, WASHINGTON, D.C.

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(Note: This event was fed in progress.)

SEN. COLLINS: (In progress) -- the executive branch. We're very honored to be asked to take on this urgent responsibility. There is no higher priority for our country than to strengthen our capability to detect, deter and respond to terrorist activities.

Because of the urgency of this task, we will begin work right away, and we will hold our first Governmental Affairs hearing to evaluate these recommendations the first week in August. So no longer is it going to be a sleepy, quiet August around here.

The task before us is an urgent one, but I can think of no better partner that I would have than Joe Lieberman. He brings tremendous experience and expertise to this task, and I look forward to working very closely with him and the other members of the Governmental Affairs Committee in the weeks to come.

Senator Lieberman.

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Susan.

This is mutual admiration and, I'd say at the beginning of this, mutual respect and mutual trust. I'm delighted to join with Senator Collins, chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, in accepting with a sense of responsibility and purpose the charge that the bipartisan leadership has given our committee to take on the consideration of the recommendations of the 9/11 commission with regard to the organization of the administrative branch of government.

Let me say the first thing is that we're going to do this on a nonpartisan basis, just as the commission itself acted on a nonpartisan basis. The matter of national security, protecting the American people from terrorist attack, obviously transcends any partisan considerations. And Senator Collins' reputation for independence and integrity and bipartisanship speaks for itself, and it's going to be the basis of our working relationship as we go forward.

The second point is that, you know, the more I read the details of the September 11th report, commission report, the more impressive it is, but also the more unsettling it is. If you put together the description the commission has given us about how the attacks of September 11th occurred and what we should do about it with the intelligence information that tells us that al Qaeda or other terrorist groups are planning attacks again on the United States, we simply cannot approach or respond to the commission report with business as usual. I mean, we've got to go at this with a real sense of urgency.

So Senator Collins and I met this morning, talking about the responsibility that Senator Frist, Senator Daschle have given us. We decided together-and I appreciate her leadership in this-to hold our first hearings in August, to put our staff to work immediately. (Chuckling.) We're changing some personal plans that we had for that week, but this is much more important.

And I take seriously what the leaders said on the floor last night. I believe Senator Frist, Senator-and then Senator Daschle agreed that we ought to try to set a goal of reporting legislation to the full Senate by October 1st. That's how important this is. The commission-the Kean-Hamilton commission set a standard for us. It was nonpartisan, it was tough in its evaluation, and it was very, very bold in its recommendations. And I have confidence, as we begin this together, that we will meet that standard in our own work.

Q What are the odds that you're really going to be able to get something done in a fairly reasonable time, Senators? The speaker of the House has already indicated that there probably isn't enough time, and there are frankly people on the House side who aren't so thrilled with the propositions that are put forth in the commission report.

SEN. COLLINS: Well, we're going to first tackle the two major, most important recommendations of the commission. That is, first, to create a National Counterterrorism Center and second to establish a position of national intelligence director.

There are many other recommendations that we will get to later, perhaps early next year or late this year. But I believe, by focusing on those two overriding recommendations, that we can in fact produce legislation, as requested by our leaders. And that's certainly going to be our goal. I know it will be a challenging one. But that's why we're starting work right now, today.

Q Well, would you make --

SEN. LIEBERMAN: See, I-let me just add-I mean, Senator Collins has said it very well. In the normal course of the way this place does business, there's a six-week recess coming up. We'll be in for three or four weeks. We'll break for the campaign. We'll go home after-we won't come back until January.

But that doesn't recognize and realize what the commission has told us. We were unprepared for September 11th. In the words of the commission, we're safer today, but we're not safe. And how can we go about business as usual when the commission has given us a charter for making America safer?

So we can do it, and particularly by prioritizing. And Senator Collins is absolutely right. The national intelligence director, counterterrorism center are two of the three big recommendations the commission has made.

The third is reorganization of congressional oversight. But Senator Frist and Senator Daschle have graciously, and thankfully, given that to another group -- (laughter) -- another group of senators.

SEN. COLLINS: And we're happy about that. (Laughter.)

Q (Off mike) -- legislation by the 1st will it gather dust until next year, or do you both favor coming back after election day and dealing with it?

SEN. COLLINS: I favor dealing with it this year, whether that's before we go out in October or coming back for a lame-duck session. I would leave that decision up to the leaders. But I think the fact that our leaders have recognized the urgency of action by tasking us with this responsibility and by suggesting the October 1st deadline indicates their commitment to acting as soon as possible.

Q Do they favor coming back for a lame-duck --

SEN. LIEBERMAN: I don't know. I haven't talked to them about that. But again, Senator Collins and I agree. Our goal is to be able to make recommendations to the full Senate by October 1st. And why wouldn't we come back in November and December to get it done? Why would we waste two or three months, then start the process in January-months during which the vulnerabilities that the commission laid out yesterday would remain? It just doesn't make sense. And again, the status quo doesn't work. The business as usual doesn't work. We've got to go at this in a whole different way, and if we do, we can do it.

Helen.

Q You mentioned the terrorism center and the national director. Are those the only recommendations that you expect to have to the Senate by October 1, or are there other legislative changes that you anticipate?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Well, we're going to look at it, I think it's fair to say. But Governor Kean and Congressman Hamilton said that they thought they had three big recommendations: the national intelligence director, the counterterrorism center, and the congressional oversight reform. Two of those three have been given to us by the leaders. And I think if we can get those two done and give the Senate a legislative package by October 1st, that's doing a lot.

I mean, we may, as we go over it, see other pieces that look urgent that we might want to tackle, but we both agreed this morning that if we try to do everything by October 1st, the danger is we'll do nothing. And it's important to prioritize. And those are clearly the top two priorities, and the toughest in some ways, to get done because they represent very big and bold changes.

Q What if the House doesn't move? Do you think you're putting pressure on them by having these hearings? What if they don't do anything?

SEN. COLLINS: You want to answer that? (Laughter.)

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Well, I mean, with all respect, I hope we do put pressure on them. You know, I think when members of both houses go home for this recess, the folks back home are going to say, "Why are you home? Why aren't you in Washington dealing with the recommendations of the September 11th commission?" I've already heard this in a few conversations with people back in Connecticut, who said, "Get this done quickly. It's our safety and well-being at stake."

SEN. COLLINS: Let me just add to that. The American people expect us to act. This is a bipartisan commission that unanimously agreed on some very important recommendations. We need to respond to that. And we do not have the luxury of waiting months to respond to the major recommendations. We know that our country is at increased risk, even as we speak, of another terrorist attack. We have a commission that has laid an excellent foundation for strengthening our capabilities. How can we not act? We must act.

Al?

Q In your mind, is it a question of whether to propose a bill that would create a terrorism center and a new directive, or how to go about it?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Well, we're going to hold hearings and we're going to be informed by those hearings, but I certainly-I embrace the outlines of the recommendation that the commission made yesterday for both of these changes. A national intelligence director with budgetary and appointment authority over the agencies underneath him, I mean, this is the way to ultimately connect the dots, to make sure that the FBI and the CIA and everybody else are talking to each other, and avoiding a repeat of the kinds of infuriating omissions and failures to cooperate that contributed to the September 11th attacks. Same is true of the counterterrorism center, which our committee has been working on for quite a while, to try to elevate from the so- called TTIC to what they're going to make it. So I think we both start in pretty much the same position of being favorably supportive of the commission recommendations.

SEN. COLLINS: Shira (sp)?

Q Will these reforms be easier or harder to achieve than the reorganization of congressional oversight has been?

SEN. COLLINS: (Laughs.) Let me answer that by saying that I am absolutely delighted that the leadership has tasked us with reviewing the recommendations affecting the executive branch. (Chuckles.)

Q So the answer is that it will be harder? Do you agree that it will be, in fact, harder to reorganize Congress?

SEN. COLLINS: I'm going to say both. It's always difficult to both reorganize the executive branch and the Congress. I think both are taking on established interests that are, in some ways, entrenched and will be resistant to change. But the stakes are too high. We just can't allow turf battles to dictate the organization of our intelligence capabilities, nor the organization of Congress.

Q Are either of you going to have a role in that bipartisan task force --

SEN. LIEBERMAN: We haven't been asked. I assume that we probably will not because we are going to focus our time on this. I mean, this-the national intelligence director and counterterrorism center are going to be plenty tough to get done.

I mean, the NID proposal of the commission would take the 15 existing intelligence agencies, all of whom have their own budgets and are accountable to somebody else, and put them all under this new director, who will control their budgets. I mean, this means that a significant amount of money that now is the control, for instance, of the secretary of Defense will go to this new national intelligence director. That's a -- (chuckles) -- that's a big change, and I expect there will be a battle over it.

Q So how nasty do you think --

(Cross talk.)

SEN. COLLINS: Bart? Bart? Excuse me. Bart?

Q Along the same lines, I guess your committee has spent some time looking at the Department of Homeland Security and the concerns about turf battles and consolidation of organization there. Is that the biggest area of concern, both for the national intelligence director and for getting these agencies to better coordinate with each other? Is that what you'll be looking at in these hearings and in the legislation?

SEN. COLLINS: What we're going to be looking at are the two specific recommendations: one, to create this national intelligence director who would have substantial budget and resource allocation authority across the 15 different intelligence agencies that are scattered throughout the federal government; and the second is the creation of a national counterterrorism center, which is a far more robust version of the Terrorist Threat Integration Center that the president created last year.

Q But-so is it fair to say that-well, is it right to think that perhaps turf battles or friction between these agencies maybe not wanting to huddle under the same leader, the same Cabinet- level post or whatever it is, is that maybe the heart of what the hearings will explore or what the legislation will try to resolve?

SEN. COLLINS: We will be looking at the commission's recommendations in that area, but certainly it's responding to the problem of a lack of coordination among these agencies, but also the fact that there's not a single person who is able to allocate resources.

That is a major problem in the current system. And by having that senior-level person who has the authority across agencies, I think it would greatly strengthen our capability.

STAFF: Two more questions.

Q So how bad do you expect the turf battles to be when you start moving this power around?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Well look, we'll see. I mean, again, if business is conducted as usual, there'll be turf battles because nobody in Washington, or probably anywhere else in the world, wants to give up authority that they have now. But you've got to set that reflex reaction to protect your turf against what's on the line here, which is national security, the safety of the American people from another terrorist attack.

And I guess I'd like to say that we began with an optimism that just as we know we can't conduct our business in this committee as usual, we hope that the agencies that are going to be asked to give a little to do a better job for the people will also change their ways and not just protect what they got.

Q Senator Lieberman, just one more on the question of Congress itself. The report said that the Congress's oversight is dysfunctional, that it was the most important but difficult problem to solve. So why not tackle that with the same speed that this is being tackled?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Well, I hope that it will be. In other words, Senator Frist and Senator Daschle gave that responsibility to a special committee that they're going to form. I don't know who's-we don't know the members yet. And I presume that they'll have a similar set of goals.

But I'll make very clear for myself, I think the report-the recommendations of the Kean-Hamilton commission on congressional reform of intelligence oversight are absolutely right. And I could support either the joint standing committee that they recommend, or a stronger Senate Intelligence Committee with authorization and appropriation responsibility.

This is a crisis, it's-you know, people died, and more people will unless we get it together.

SEN. COLLINS: Thank you.

Q Can you say a little bit about how long the hearings will last, you know, two weeks, days? And what kind of witnesses you're going to --

Q And how will you get campaigning senators to come --

(Cross talk.)

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Details to come! (Chuckles.)

SEN. COLLINS: (Laughing.) Exactly!

(Cross talk.)

Q What day of the week do you think --

(Cross talk.)

SEN. COLLINS: We're going to try to do Tuesday of the first week in August --

Q Just don't do it on Thursday --

SEN. COLLINS: Okay. (Laughs.)

Q And in your memory, have there been-ever been hearings in August? You've both been here for a long time. In your memory, have there ever been hearings in August?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Don't know --

Q Have we ever-you've been around --

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Other people have been here longer than we have. (Laughter.)

Q You don't remember?

SEN. COLLINS: No.

(Cross talk.)

Q So just one day, one hearing, is that what we're talking about?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: For now we're going to start up here, yes.

SEN. COLLINS: This is the initial, but there --

Q But it could be more in August?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: It could be.

SEN. COLLINS: It could be. We're certainly going to schedule more for September. But we want to get going.

Q Just one hearing is scheduled?

Q And will Kean and Hamilton be the key witnesses --

SEN. COLLINS: We're going to start from the -- (off mike) --

Q You said that you were tasked by leaders. Does that send a signal to you that they're really serious about getting something done?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Yes, it does. I mean --

Q Because that's not happening in the House --

(Cross talk.)

Q We locked the door. The door's locked, you can't get out! (Laughter.)

Q Have you talked to Kean and Hamilton about coming up?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: We're going to do that --

(End of available audio as the senators leave the microphones.)