Rogers Opening Statement at Homeland Security Hearing

Rogers Opening Statement at Homeland Security Hearing

Witness: DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff

Mr. Secretary, I am pleased to welcome you here today, your first appearance before the Subcommittee and your first appearance as Secretary of Homeland Security. It was just two weeks ago that you were officially sworn in as the second Secretary of Homeland Security. You have been given an historic opportunity, taking the helm of a massive new Department just two years after its creation.

Mr. Secretary, the first chapter for the Department has been written. Your predecessor merged the disparate cultures, missions and management structures of 22 separate agencies, bringing together diverse groups that share a common objective -to protect, prepare and respond to acts of terrorism. Out of necessity, the Department has spent much of its first two years organizing the pieces and putting in place the building blocks for our nation's homeland security infrastructure.

Great progress has been made and I believe that our country is safer today than it was before September 11th. But there is a great deal of work to be done. It is now time to write the next chapter and, Mr. Secretary, you are one of the authors.

The Department has primary responsibility for implementing our national homeland security strategy -more than 57 percent of all national homeland security funding is under your jurisdiction. You are responsible for ensuring intelligence information gets to the right people; for protecting our transportation systems and making our borders smarter; for identifying and protecting our critical infrastructure and key assets; for detecting and deterring use of weapons of mass destruction; and for helping our nation prepare and respond to terrorist attacks. These are daunting responsibilities and they require strong leadership if we are to succeed.

Mr. Secretary, there are a number of problems at the Department that I believe deserve your immediate attention. I am afraid that, left unchecked, underlying management deficiencies will take root and become part of the Department's own culture and legacy. I will say to you what I have said before: the Department's tasks are too important to get bogged down in bureaucratic inertia, yet that is exactly what seems to be happening.

Two weeks ago, this Subcommittee heard from Deputy Secretary Loy regarding the overall management and financial operations of the Department. I told the Admiral that I was concerned by the lack of progress the Department has made in key management areas, particularly, reports of financial weakness within key components such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the lack of progress in the area of information sharing. I also continue to have concerns with the Department's relationship with key stakeholders on Capitol Hill. For those that know the work of this Subcommittee, they know that we are not casual bystanders. At times, the Department has made the mistake of assuming that we, the appropriators, are simply here to sign a blank check. Let me assure you, that is not the case. As you come before us seeking assets and resources to run the Department, we will scrutinize your budget and require accountability. We will expect you to establish and meet specific milestones. We will be watching and measuring your progress.

Beyond my concerns with the Department's management and financial structure, I will look to you today to help us understand where you want to take the Department over the next few years.

A great deal of work has been done since the Department opened its doors. The groundwork has been laid to protect our hometowns, but, as I have said, much work remains.

Just as the first two years of the Department's existence were critical to establishing the organizational context for homeland security, the next two years are critical to establishing the Department's credibility as we begin to put in place the details of our nation's homeland security strategy.

These next two years will also define the Department's place in history. It is your job, Mr. Secretary, to ensure that that place will be one of success and leadership in securing the homeland, rather than one of government bureaucracy and failed opportunities. It is now time for action and you are in a position to take that action.

As we proceed here today, I am interested in learning where you will lead the Department and what actions you might take in key areas - we have compiled the list of our nation's critical infrastructure - now how will we protect it? We have identified gaps and vulnerabilities in border and transportation security - now how will we close them? We know about our immigration vulnerabilities - now how will we eliminate them?

I am told you are a quick study, Mr. Secretary but I presume that two weeks has probably not been enough to get you up to speed on all of the Department's policies and operations. Nonetheless, I hope by now you have a general sense of the Department's strengths and weaknesses. You also bring to this job an impressive background, including your work as Assistant Attorney General. In large part, you were put in this job because of what you bring to the table. I am hopeful that you have a sense of how you will help write the next chapter for the Department and you will share those thoughts with us today.

http://www.house.gov/rogers/March2005/homelandsecurity_dhssecretary.html