Ridge meets with House members on homeland security proposal

Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge met with House members Wednesday on Bush's plan. He will hold a similar meeting Thursday with senators.

"This is the beginning of the collaboration between the president and his administration and the Congress of the United States," Ridge told reporters after the closed-door meeting on the House floor.

Ridge said he had received a "very positive" reaction from lawmakers and said he would return to Capitol Hill "sometime in the near future" to offer formal testimony.

Ridge said one issue of concern to lawmakers was how to enhance border security without crippling commerce.

On the controversial question of whether the CIA and FBI should fall under the new department, Ridge said the new department would be a "customer" of those agencies.

House GOP Conference Chairman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, who co-chaired the session along with Democratic Caucus Chairman Martin Frost of Texas, said Hastert would decide within days or "a week or so" on how to move legislation creating the new department.

Watts said he favored creation of a select committee to handle the legislation. Some Republicans have floated the idea that Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, would chair such a committee, with Watts as co-chairman.

House leaders plunged into the details of how to move homeland security through the House with deference to regular order and bipartisanship--but without getting stuck in jurisdictional squabbles.

Hastert and Gephardt met Wednesday afternoon to discuss four or five procedural options. They made no decision and would likely meet again today, Gephardt said.

Gephardt has indicated a preference for regular order, meaning the Government Reform Committee would take a lead on the legislation with referrals to other relevant panels.

Hastert has made no decisions yet, a Hastert spokesman said Wednesday.